The Connection of Kyon and Kori
by Taiboss
Summary: Kyon has experienced many strange things in life, be it aliens, time-travelers or espers, but he has yet to see a slider. Now a girl appeared in his bedroom, and seems to fulfill this role, but is she really? Is she the missing card? Or is she something even stranger, the start of series of events that could possibly endanger the whole world, present and future?
1. P1: Stranger in a familiar land

Obvious Disclaimer: I own nothing. NOTHING. Not any thing relating to Haruhi. You know whose rights they are. Not any OCs. They have been done already. Not even the plot. It's been done already too. TvTropes destroyed me, if you will. Possible spoilers up through book 11. But it has been almost three years, and 4 months, since it came out in Japan and as English hardcover, respectively of course. Don't buy the Paperbacks!

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**Chapter 1: Stranger in a Familiar Land**

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"Of course, if every main character who wakes up in a to them unknown, or worse, known but slightly changed world, would use their time to process as much information as possible as calm as possible in order to find a solution, then stories would be a lot shorter. But where is the fun in that? You play first-person shooter because you can't kill people in real life. So, not every story has to be realistic, especially when the main character has so much to deal with he can't think straight."  
\- Anonymous poster on sosbrigadedotnet, attributed to a member of the Tadamichi family

* * *

It was a beautiful morning when I woke up, as if to say that everything would be alright. It just so happened that considering yesterday's events, I was sure that would have been true. But waking up was unusual that day. You must know, I like waking up. I like it probably as much as the act of sleeping itself. I think that sleeping is one of the greatest things we have to do, yet one of the strangest. Imagine that you meet an alien, yeah, I already met one, but that's beside the point. Now imagine we explain to him the concept of sleep. Every day, after nightfall, we dress up in special clothes, go to special rooms and then lie down in special rectangles to do nothing for 6-8 hours. Sounds weird, doesn't it? But it is this exact "doing nothing" that I like about it. Sleeping isn't just that you fall asleep one second and wake up another second. Dreams, or just the void of sleep makes it worth it. When I was young, my parents often argued with each other. It was nothing serious, and by the end of the day, they were back to being sickenly sweetheartish, but even then I used to hide in my room, rolled up in my bed, just waiting until the storm was over. I can tell you that during that time I learned to love the bed, its cushions and all the warmth they had. In other words, you must know I love sleeping and I love waking up.

I shouldn't have the greatest wake up that day.

What normally happens is that at 7AM sharp, my clock radio, that is standing on my desk, would start playing the station on 89.9 MHz, which at that moment would play the news, then sport followed by the weather. This would take about 5 minutes, from then on it would play mostly western songs from the last millennia, which just so happened to be my favourite type of music. I would then stand up. Sometimes I would silently complain (why bother when nobody listen to you) and only get up when a few songs had finished, which always ended when a certain someone entered my room. But most often I just stood up and did my morning routine normally, and with little company.

So you can imagine how weird it was when I woken up by a "Piipipipipippippiipi" coming from right above me. And it was _loud,_ I tell you.

"Wha? Just w-" I shrieked, not knowing what was happening, and my reflexes instantly tried to put out the sound of noise. Being, well, reflexes, however, I reached out with my hand and my arm and my shoulder and my body... to the emptiness that was in the direction of my desk. Landing on the floor is not a pleasant experience, but it's more a surprise than anything. Feeling the hard ground confuses you for a moment, but then you'll just stand up and go back to bed. Usually. Still looking in the direction of my desk, I stood up and rubbed my eyes. Something suddenly turned off the beeping. Finally, silence returned to the room. The question was _why_. When I turned around and looked at my bed, I saw this guy just lying on it. His eyes were fixed on me, and with every second they, along with his mouth and the rest of the muscles in his face, grew angrier.

I had no clue who he was.

Two voices asked the same question: ""Who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom?""

Apparently, this guy had the same idea as I, since he almost shouted the same question as I did. He was the first one of us to regain his composure and looked at me strangely.

He asked whether I was sure it was my bedroom. Because it seemed to him that I am in a room he knows: His room.

Are you kidding? I looked around wanting to defend myself, getting out my dresses to show him my belongings, but suddenly it hit me.

"Wait..." I muttered. He was right. "This isn't my bedroom."

I was tempted to scream "Disappointed" at the top the top of my lungs, but I didn't want anyone to wake up, and I think it would be unhealthy to do movie and pop culture references left and right, both because people who don't get them would be annoyed, and people who do get them would be freaked out by me knowing them.

I realised that he still waited me to finish my sentence, as he just sat there, looking at me and saying nothing. However, he moved his hand into a fist and made a fake cough in it, as if to tell me, "You're the one at fault here"

In retrospect, I deserve an award for reacting so calm, but if you have experienced things I have, nothing is surprising to you anymore.

"I suppose I owe you a few answers." was my half-hearted response. "But unfortunately for you, I don't have them either."

I've read a lot of fiction of how people act in scenarios when they wake up in a strange, new world, and I've learned one thing: Always stay calm and roll with the punches. The world doesn't have to be broken, maybe it's you. I've figured, if I am out-of-place, I might as well accept the world as it is until I find a solution. The guy still stayed silent, but then erected himself and spoke. He told me that I should just talk what I knew then.

I could tell he was still sleepy, but apparently I had his full attention. Since I didn't say anything, he continued and asked me who am I was and why I was here.

Hah, you're asking the right questions, I have no clue why I am here, I mean, I just woke up here, next to you. I know not more than you.

He asked whether I still knew my name, and that I didn't have amnesia or something.

That's right, who am I? I am who I am, Frede- Nope, not healthy. But I definitely have no amnesia.

"First you..." I said.

What?, he asked.

He was clearly confused. Hell, I'd be confused too in his place. But there is this one rule I have about meeting people, it determines which name I give them back.

"What's your name?"

Instead of answering my question, the guy made a "hah" expression, looked somewhere left of me of me for about two seconds, but then he returned his previous state and looked at me somewhat... bored. I don't think anyone would be bored when a girl, a beautiful I might add, appears in his bedroom.

Finally, he reluctantly said okay and held out his hand. He said that he was-

"KYON-KUUUUNN!" a loud voice suddenly chirped from down the house, and I heard feet running up the stairs.

This Kyon, or however he is called, and I, we locked eyes for what felt like an eternity, and we immediately understood, made a pact just by looking, exchanged text like telepaths and came to an understanding in a time that others would need to even get a good look at a person.

It should be the first clue.

"Where?" I just snapped quietly.

He answered with an abrupt reply of "There!" and pointed to the wardrobe at the other side of the room. Well, I knew I am going to make that. I sprinted over as fast as I could to the wardrobe, it looked pretty new, so I assumed the doors would open quietly. And yes, I was right, the doors opened without a sound, and I was allowed a look into the wardrobe of a teenage boy. I was pleasantly surprised, the left side of the wardrobe held drawers, the T-shirts and trousers in them were all folded, fresh in a location one could assume they belonged to. The right side was open and held jackets, shirts and other formal boys outfits. Fortunately one could push them to the back, which allowed me to get a decent sized hole to hide in. I stepped in, then turned around and closed the doors behind me, holding them together as my body would keep them open otherwise. And I did that no second no late, I could hear how, after I disappeared, someone, a child most probably, threw open the door and ran to the bed. I could hear rumbling followed by a bang, I suppose this kid threw him out of his bed or something. "Harh" came from the boy, but he was quickly cut off by the child. "Kyon-kun. Mom said that you should get up and eat breakfast." she said to him. I tried to peek through the small gap that still existed to get a look at this girl, as her voice hints her to be, but I missed the chance, as when she was finished tormenting him, she dashed out of the room like a storm and ran down the stairs with the same speed she had come with. I waited for about two or three seconds then I started to loosen my grip. Subsequently, I almost fell out of the wardrobe. Scratch the "almost", I did fall on the ground, like in those silly anime, and landed face first on the floor. I tried to stand up while I raised my hand to my head. Kyon stood from the ground and kneed next to me.

He asked me whether I liked his floor.

Oh, Kyon. You're just the king of sarcasm, aren't you? No, it's gravity who I like.

He told me that he doesn't. Gravity sucks, he said.

Actually gravity doesn't suck, but rather attracts. If, let's say tomorrow, the sun was replaced by an equally big gravitational source like a black hole, the planets would still follow the same orbit, as their is not a difference between a star or a black hole of the same mass.

He told me that he tried to do a bad pun, and I shouldn't think too hard about something like that.

Lovely. Also lovely is how we just wasted lines with a, very weak, snark battle, which we could have filled with information on who we are, what we are and most important why I am here.

He told me that he didn't know why I'm here, though he guessed he could come up with a few theories.

I know that line, but it wasn't you that was transported here, Kyon. Be a bit serious and stop quoting books.

He flinched at that. His tired face was momentarily filled with a look that said "not again". I knew how such a look, well, looks, and he gave me a textbook example.

He said, that I too was...

Heard that? I was right. So, Kyon, does that mean this name of yours is just a nickname?

He told me that yes, everyone calls him that and that when enough-

I cut him off. And when enough people acknowledge a lie, it becomes the truth, so Kyon might as well work as your real name? I played that Visual Novel too.

He began his sentence with "I.." but paused and finally corrected me in that's actually from a book, first most. But that was not important and that his name actually was-

Irrelevant. Hello Kyon, I'm Kori. I'm sixteen years old. I woke up in your bed. Nice to meet you.

He asked me what kind of introduction that was supposed to be. And what name Kori was supposed to be?!

A nickname. A very cool one at that I tell you. Everyone calls me that, so we seem to have something in common. Much better than my real name.

He sighed at that, apparently I once again made him bad. I realised that we were wasting time, so he flinched when I shook my head. He got the message and stood up.

He told me that I've got to get out of here, and he meant fast. In less than two minutes he'd have to be downstairs eating breakfast. So I should hurry. Thank God that I was already dressed, he'd have no clue what to do then. He remarked he had no coat that can turn me invisible or something.

Dressed? It suddenly occurred to me that I haven't even checked until now exactly what I was wearing, which is a shame, as I am usually very perceptive of my surroundings. Blue skirt, white blouse with red slip knot. It was my school uniform. As if that makes it any better! And not only that, I wore shoes. Indoors. If Kyon's Mom is remotely like mine, then well, this could end rather dirty, but it looked as had someone either perfectly cleaned my shoes or replaced them with clean replicas.

He observed that I was wearing his school's female uniform and asked if I thought that that's coincidence.

You go to Kitago?

He said yes, but noted that he didn't know me. He asked whether I was a freshman or a transfer student.

Eh, yeah, the former. Class 1-3. That's the one with the Steins;Gate named guy as a teacher.

Kyon tilted his head to the side and asked who that was.

Okabe, I answered.

Kyon blinked for a bit then lowered his head. He murmured something and seemed to drift off.

WAIT A SECOND!

So we go to the same school?! That'd mean I at least didn't end up so far away from home! I could maybe run and end up there in 10 minutes, given that I am in the same neighbourhood, which, given the similar layout of the bedroom does seem likely. So you must forgive me that I thought at the time I could reach home, explain the whole thing to Papa and get to school in time. Correspondingly, my next question was a stupid one. "What is the fastest way to get out of this house?", I asked. Granted, the question itself is not as bad as the answer that followed.

He told me that I could always jump out of the window. At this time, his parents wouldn't notice as the dining room is on the other side of the house and-

Got it, thanks, I said and dashed to the window. I have no clue what I thought back then, so I'll just say what I did: I opened the window, stood on its ledge and jumped down. At least I had the bright idea to shout "If anything goes wrong, meet me at the bridge." at him. He just looked at me with a mix between shock and one that said "I was just joking." 16-year old me didn't care however.

It shouldn't take much thinking to know that my landing on the ground was uncomfortable, to say the least. But I had no time to lose. Like a hamster on speed I jumped up, looked around and searched for a fence to jump over. In one smooth motion I threw myself over it and made sure I was alone on a street, which I was surprisingly, before looking around.

This was indeed my neighbourhood! There, that's the house... that... I remember the corner of, there's the shop and there... okay. Which street was this? This was my first priority. I looked around, searched and found a sign: Street 34. That's my street! I was in my street. So far, so good, now i just have to find my house which is...

House Nr. 2...

House Nr. 4...

House Nr. 6!

Oh, come on...

I had the feeling the world was shitting me. The house I just left? That was literally my house! I was right! It was my bedroom because it was my house. There is no mistaking it!

"So... To the bridge I go."

Of course I had other options, but honestly! Can you stay calm in such a situation?

In the end it didn't actually look like it was actually my house, but it was on the place my house would have been on, had it actually been on that place. But because it wasn't there, it wasn't my house. It looked, well different. The windows had different curtains, my house had red ones, while this one had blues. My house had a satellite dish, which this house lacked. My house had- I'm losing myself. The point is that I had no place to go home to. If I wanted to I could probably find a place to stay, but well, I had no time to lose, and that Kyon was expecting and deserved some answers to question I wanted answers to myself.

Where am I, when I am not in my world?

When I am in my world, why is a strange family in my house?

If I am not in my world, is there any frame of reference at all? Could I go to my friend's houses and expect them to answer? Or should I expect different people claiming to have liven there all their lives? Could I even expect the same history of the world? Are there fixed points in time that had to happen, or did someone else 'discover' America?

I should calm down, I said to myself, and began to calmly walk to the bridge.

* * *

When I say bridge, I of course mean not any bridge. On the way from my house, or to be broad, my neighborhood to my school, there was only one bridge. It was the Koukawa bridge, which bridged the, well, Koukawa and therefore was an important point of travel for many Kitago students, including me. The bridge appears somewhere between when I put away my bicycle at the train station and start walking on foot, and the beginning of the hill. This time I had no bicycle, so it took considerably longer than usual to arrive. In fact I noticed midway in, that I took in fact too long, so I started to run the way there, hoping that every step would be the last to get there.

In the end, it didn't amount to anything, just when I arrived, Kyon was already waiting for me. So _he_ had a bicycle which made him able to reach it before me, even with breakfast and all. Why not pick me up along the way?

I didn't knew whether I should be glad that Kyon actually listened to me and that he wanted to help me or frightened that he apparently has nothing better to do than listen to a girl who just appeared in his bedroom. When he saw me, he just made a "I knew it" smirk and finally spoke up when I was in hearing range.

He greeted me with a very cliché "Hey there!"

What do you want?

He said that he wanted to know what happened to the strange girl from this morning, after she had jumped out of my window and ran away.

You told me to do that.

He explained that he had just been joking and wasn't expecting for me to actually do that. Then he asked how it is now, after I searched.

Oh, god, you really have to annoy me? I tell you what. Terrible. My house doesn't exist where it should be, my family and friends probably are gone as well, and I have no clue what to do now.

He remarked that that sounded bad.

Oh, you have no idea.

Actually..., he began but I interrupted him.

What 'actually'? I don't think you ever were in such a situation!

I almost shouted and I could feel how some students were interested in seeing a to them unknown girl struggle with her supposed boyfriend. Or brother. Or whatever they saw in us two.

No, he answered with sincernity, he had never been never in such a situation, therefore he couldn't relate to me. But, he said, he could do one thing for me.

And that would be? I am really curious what you plan to do.

"Well.." he began, then he looked left and right, making sure no one was in earshot. When he was sure, he simply told me he could at least try to help me find answers to the questions we were both asking.

What? I mean, you literally just got to know me, but you believe me and you want to help me. You got sucked in a situation over which you probably have no control, and that will make you look like a fool at least one time.

He asked what I meant with "one".

I'm a realistic person. What I am saying that it is a completedly idiotic and illogical thing to help me. What does this thing have to do anyway. You should go back to being normal.

Kyon's lips began to form a creepy smile and he asked whether he ever said that he wanted that.

So, does that mean...

Kyon, you would accompany me to the depths of hell?

He denied that. He would drag me out of it. He also complained that it was that told him to 'stop quoting books', and that I was a hypocrite.

That shut me up, and I resigned to the fact that he would follow me. Very well, Kyon. Then be at my side. At my side in this labyrinth that didn't even start to show us its complexity.

He ordered to me catch up with him, I was already too far behind.

Kyon apparently had gone ahead on his own. I can't exactly blame him, he does have to get to school in time. If I were to stand there the whole time, talking with him, I might steal him his whole time.

I ran up to Kyon and began to walk along him. In my mind my first theories began to sprout. When school was over, I would take Kyon and check every place I know that could help me. Hyou-chan's house would be first, I have a feeling that I could stay with her. It could make up for the coming season, however for the moment it felt warm enough that it could have been spring or early summer.

Now, that I mention it...

"Say, Kyon," I said, still walking. "Which date is today?"

He told me it was Friday, the 25th of May, without moving his head. He also wanted to know why I asked for this.

It wasn't spring where I come from. Does this mean I did not only travel through worlds, but also through time?

That he cannot say, but it is possible. He asked if I had ever... he looked around once again, but it was mostly unnecessary, even if there were other people close enough to hear us. Honestly, if I heard someone talking weird sci-fi stuff, I would just assume they talk about video games or books or anything.

He looked away, then returned his focus on me to as if to say 'No shit'.

He remarked that it was true... , but still, he asked, whether I ever slide before this.

Slide? What is that supposed to mean? You mean I am "sliding" from world to world or what? Next time please use Japanese, not some terrible pronounced English.

He sighed, and admitted that he just didn't like the term "Person from another world". After seeing this show last week, he thought that Slider fits it better, and asked if I agree with him.

That is up to debate. But if you like, you can refer to me as a slider. And to answer your question, no, I never slid in my life. You can call me an 100% normal human.

Well, Kyon said, I wasn't anymore, that's for sure.

Indeed, I could ever again claim to be a normal being. Meh, it had already been a bit late for that, but hope dies last as they say.

The following way up the hill was silent, neither me nor Kyon dared to speak. Looking back, I think we were just uncomfortable at the moment, and didn't had the desire to lie out our lives in front of each other just yet. Maybe we needed a moment alone not under any form of time pressure. The hill to Kitago seemed steeper than usual to me and I cursed staying up so long yesterday. I never liked that hill, but today it seemed especially steep. I could feel how my powers left me step by step. It took some time until we finally reached the school. She looked like I left it yesterday, but there was something off, that I couldn't quite catch. Was it the paint, that looked a lot darker than I remembered? Was it the different season that cast a different light on it? I didn't know, but I would later have more than enough time to think about that.

As the school gate were two girls. Well, when I say two I am understating, of course there were more girls and boys around than these two, but they were minding their own business, not looking at us.

"Heya!" one of them shouted.

Yes, two girls were calling us. Well, one girl, a big long-haired one was calling us. Her, I supposed, friend, a small girl with big breasts, stood next to her. I noticed how unnatural they looked, the big one with her green and the small one with her brown-orange-ig hair. I know dyes are not that uncommon, but damn some people choose the weirdest colours.

The big broke of from her friend and ran to us, spouting about how her friend had something to talk about Kyon. I didn't really pay attention, which I probably should have. When Kyon walked up to the small girl, the tall girl turned to me.

"Hello, you there. Yer a friend of Kyon-kun?"

Well, yes. I mean, I _am,_ technically.

"Oh. Nice to meet ya! I'm Tsuruya. See that girl over there?" She was pointing to Miss Big Breast. I nodded slightly, still dumbfounded on what to do.

"That's Mikuru, I am her bestest friend and will do anything to protect her should you try something funny."

Lovely. A Yandere. A lesbian Yandere at that.

"What? Ah, no! Hahhahaha!"

Tsuruya proceeded to laugh like a hyena. She sounded amused.

"Mikuru and me are nothing like that, totally!"

I need to work on my judgement of people. I see I got it all wrong, I told her and asked how it actually was.

Tsuruya continued to giggle until she finally was calm enough to speak.

"Mikuru and me are bestest friends, but we do nothing like that. Mikuru is just very shy and gets easyly used for perverted things. And therefor I just thought I should warn since you seem to be a friend of Kyon-kun. You _are_ a friend of Kyon-kun, aren't you?"

Ehh, yeessss. Kyon-'kun' and I are close friends, I said. At that she began to laugh again, this time more at me than with me. I wondered what I did say wrong that it would result in such a response. And what does "warning" have to do with me being friends with Kyon.

"Ah, sorry. It's just I heard from Mikuru that the last girl that introduced herself as close friend of him made Haru-nyan very jealous. You should be careful around her. She can be verys energetic, maybe even more than me."

This seems impossible, i wanted to say dryly, but I had to yawn instead. God, am I tired. Who is this "Haru-nyan" and why does it sound I should be terrified of her?

"Haru-nyan is Kyon-kun and Mikuru's club chief. She is very fun but like I saids you don't wanna make her angry."

So, a Tsundere with dere tendency, don't make her angry, got it.

"Haha, yer funny. I like ya, but..." she checked my hands, then my back and then looked me in the eyes, turning somewhat serious.

"Where is ya schoolbag? And I've never seen you before, yet you wear our uniform? Are you a a transfer student?"

Despite what some films or anime tell you, it's not that easy getting a new identity just like that. I couldn't just tell "Oh, yes, I'm the new transfer student", when they are no transfer students to be expected. I was wearing Kitago uniform when I am technically no Kitago student. At least, not this Kitago. Anyway, I was in a tricky situation, because this girl could find out the truth faster than I wanted to. I needed to tell a lie so believable that it convinces her not to bug any further, but simple enough it's impossible or at least very hard to pull the thread on. But even then it's far from over, as I'd probably have to stay here longer than I could ever imagine. How will that person think about that? He will probably be unhappy with me disappearing all of a sudden. But I need to worry about that later, now I'll just-

"Ohh, I get it; I get it. Verys smart."

Tsuruya suddenly started to laugh again. Hey, I haven't said a word since you asked me. And stop touching my uniform!

"Ooh? I have a feeling we gonna get along just fine, ehh.."

I am Kori. Please call me that, I prefer to... not say my real name. I don't like it.

"Oh, that's okay. Nobody ever calls me by my first name either. I betcha they don't even know it."

That I can imagine easily, as you didn't tell it to me either. I didn't say that out loud of course, instead I used the time to look at Kyon and his companion, at the same time I suppressed a yawn.

"Tsuruya-san, are you coming?"

Mikuru seemed to be finished and began calling for her. It seems Tsuruya turned her head to follow my view. She instantly called back that she'd come, turned back to me, told us her apologies that the she had to go, then she ran to her friend and disappeared together with her in the school building. I used the time to catch up to Kyon.

"So what did Mikuru-san talk with you?"

Kyon broke out of his silent thinking pose and turned to me. He began to ask me how I know-, but then he caught himself and seemed to understand something. He let out a sigh, and told me, sorry, that it was classified.

Oh, it's "classified". This phrase did revive some memories. Something here was fishy, that was what I knew. But that is unimportant, right now, what is important is- well, what now?

What do I mean with 'what now'?, Kyon complained and told me to enter the school with him, of course. He made a face as if to say "what were you expecting?" Hey, don't sound so bossy! I mean, I can't enter a foreign school like that! Well it wasn't foreign, but still what if, say, one of the teachers find me and wants to send me to class, and there is no class, because I'm not a student here.

He responded that'll bunk you in my club room, until class is over. Normally, teachers don't enter these rooms during class, and I was old enough to understand I have to stay in it.

I... Okay, I accept that, I will wait in the club room until after class, I told him. Maybe I will rest in there, I feel kinda tired.

Kyon and I entered the second year shoe lockers, what, considering I am a first-year, was very unpleasant, but luckily for us we were the only ones there. It suddenly occurred to me that I had no indoor shoes. When I wanted to tell him that, he was already holding some first-year shoes in his hands, unlabeled and apparently unclaimed.

He said, quielty, but audible, that he didn't want to know whose they were, but then turned to me and told me that for now, I can use them.

Thief. Giving me shoes he doesn't own. And what is with that envelope in your other hand? Is that a love letter?

"Ha, yes.." Kyon replied and hastily put it somewhere into his jacket. "But these shoes were in my locker, so I think it is okay when you use them. They are reserve."

Reserve, eh? Well that could work, I told him, and put on the shoes, while Kyon did the same with his. Wait, didn't he question whose they are? So he was a thief... We then took off away from the lockers, in one of the hallways. I immediately noticed how the amount of students dropped from being everywhere to the occasional girl or guy running past us.

On the way to the new building I realised that it doesn't deserve its name in the slightest. The colour was not a screaming white, but a more greyish one, one that looked older than it should be after two years of renovation. I didn't speak up, I was just too tired. Eventually, we reached a door to room, I entered it first, after Kyon had opened it.

Oh no. Please tell it's not that room. Why of all rooms, did it have to be this on? Oi, Kyon, what is this room?

Kyon was already gone, having left me alone in such a place. But why did it have to be a room I knew so very well? Why the literature club? I wanted to find this out, but the running to the bridge and the hill had drained my already weak resources. I haven't had any breakfast and I just felt tired. So I just sat down on one of the chairs and lied my head on my arms. I'll worry later, were my last thoughts as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I was woken up by whispered words. Apparently they weren't as whispered as they should have been.

"So you know who she is?" whispered a male, foreign voice vis-à-vis from me.

"Yes... No..." a high-pitched female voice from beside me answered. The girl it belonged to sounded sad, desperate as if she is too shy to say anything, but she had to. "I don't know who she is, that's classified.", she continued as her voice grew calmer. "Even from me. But I know where she came from: Kyon-kun brought her in this morning."

At the time, I still was too sleepy to fully understand what these people were talking about.

"Why would he do that?" the male voice replied, sounding slightly surprised.

"I don't know, but I got the order to take care of her until further orders arrive. I told Kyon about that this morning, along with that he should check his shoe locker."

"Well, that does help, because that would mean her arrival is a pre-determined event, right?"

Ah, yes. Pre-determined events. I know about these things. Because an event in the past already happened, it has to be ensured by the future. Quite a few stories, like Isaac Asimov's "The End of Eternity" build on this concept, and as a child I swallowed such stories like there was no tomorrow.

This got my attention and as I began to slowly turn awake, I started to turn my attention to the conversation.

"Yes. But she is not anyone I know, I already said that."

"That I don't doubt." the male voice replied. He sighed. "So we just have to wait for him to explain it to us... They both have class duty, right?"

So apparently they are friends of Kyon. That was at least a bit comforting. I opened my eyes and asked "Who are on class duty?"

I saw that the male voice belonged a boy who looked extremely handsome, when I am allowed to say that, he was the wet bishounen dream every girl my age has. His hair was brown like a ahorn and long enough to conceal part of his face, although he had them in way so they wouldn't. In retrospect, his voice fit perfectly. No trace of the man I initially believed the voice to belong.

"Why you're asking? Of course I mean Kyo-oh." he answered, before he caught himself. "You're awake." He made eye contact with me and his lips formed a warm smile. "Good morning, I should wish, but it is already afternoon."

I expected no less, considering I fell asleep in the morning. In order to be able to see more than just him, I raised my head, stretched my arm, and led out the biggest yawn I have ever done. And I was in for a surprise, because next to me set none other than Mikuru, whose voice I hadn't recognised.

"Mikuru-san?" I asked, obviously knowing it was her. She blinked surprised, but then a smile came across her face, it was gentle smile that seemed like no boy could resist. But fortunately I was no boy.

"Yes, that's me. How do you know my name?"

"Your friend Tsuruya-san told me of you." I answered "Just to be sure, Mikuru is your first name? "

Mikuru continued to smile, and it began creeping me out.

"Yes it is, my last name is Asahina. But you can still feel free to call me by my first name."

Asa...hina?

I brushed away my sudden sense of deja-vu. I am not here to be irritated by familiar names, yet alone go crazy and assume things that are not sure to be given. I turned my view to the next of the bunch, viewing him intensely. Now that I felt a lot less tired, I had less trouble talking with people

"Well, I am Koizumi Itsuki. Nice to meet you" he said, his smile broad as if he was high or planning something but made no effort to hide it. It seemed similar to Mikuru's.

I blinked once, twice at the mentioning of his name. Koizumi... Really? Okay, it's not that uncommon, but...

I turned my head faster than a drill entering an oil deposit, and looked at the grey-haired girl. Please don't tell me she is...

And what is your name?, I asked her. And she answered.

"I am Nagato Yuki."

Naga...to...

You guys...

Are you telling me... Could it be?

The door suddenly burst open like the gates of hell, incoming was a girl and a boy. The boy was Kyon, the girl was probably that Haru-nyan Tsuruya was talking about.

"Did you wait for us?" the girl shouted happily into the room, obviously unaware about everything that had happened inside here.

This girl made her entry with the force of a Titan that was too long imprisoned in those walls, she was radiating an aura that made clear she was the boss. She looked around the club room until her eyes locked on me. In that moment, I made eye contact with Haruhi Suzumiya.

And in that moment...

I understood everything.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Well, that's hell of cliffhanger isn't it? First off I want to say how happy it makes to finally wrote down something I started thinking of ever since I read of Seitenkan last summer. And before you ask, Kori and Kyonko are in no way related. They may share some character traits, but in the end they are separate entities. I like Kyonko very much, however I dislike the way she and Kyon were usually put together, so I wanted to do something different, which after much rework and scrapping ideas it evolved into this, which almost shares nothing with the original concept but Kori. I want to say thanks to **The Messenger Crow **for getting me to stop being lazy, and finally finish this, although he might not know this. Shout-outs go to _The Coin_ by Muphrid, _Kyon: Big Damn Hero_ by Durandall and _The Anagram of Suzumiya Kurumi_ by kurushi for being works that showed me more about the characters that helped me to write them as not blatant cliché, but still not OOC.

I am trying to write OCs that are not Sues or Self-Inserts in any way, which is hard, since I noticed I am giving Kori many opinions that match my own. Please notify me when I am too blatant with the Sueish. Please note I am all alone on this, I literally have nobody to help me proofread, point out plotholes etc, so any kind of help, even if it's just a review, would be greatly appreciated. Also note that chapters for this will come VERY slow, mostly due to me having writer's block and never being satisfied with my work. Also, just because I have posted a chapter, doesn't mean I am finished it. I sometimes update or rewrite some small parts, they are minor, and missing them shouldn't result in much misunderstanding. They are mostly retcons for remarks a character makes that in hindsight would be OOC or incosistent, sometimes I expand hastily thrown together scenes that actually deserve better.

But now for what the Author's notes are actually for:

The name Koukawa comes from two Kanji seen in the movie version of Disappearance. I have no clue if they are actually pronounced like that, since I when looking it up while writing this note I found no matching kanji, (but apparently have done so at some point in the past) but it makes for a nice name so I'll keep it.

The japanese name used for sliders is "isekaijin" which means, you guessed it, person from another world.

The VN with "when enough people acknowledge a lie, it becomes the truth" that Kori mentions is Umineko, but as Kyon points out the concept is way older than that. But that is only one of the many references I have incorporated. Hpw about you count them all? GO!

_Count the __references__! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!_


	2. F1: Her high-class hostage

_Count the __references__! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Her high-class hostage.**

* * *

"Not every story is to be told from the perspective of a teenager, in fact I find such a concept overused. However, should such a case occur, and it will, then there are characters you absolutely must not neglect. [...] If parents are shown at all, then they have to be shown a humans, and neither as saints nor devils. Even if the character is an orphan, parents always leave an impression on their child, be it direct or indirect, be it good, or bad."

\- Poster "The eternal child", in a "How to write non-cliché fiction" compilation thread found on the sosbrigadedotnet forums

* * *

I was alone.

It was cold.

Why was I standing here in the rain, alone with nothing more than a thin sheet of plastic between me and the clutching wetness that fell from the heavens?

Why was I still looking at this stone? It was no different from all the other stones here, in fact this whole place was specifically made for such stones. So why couldn't I avert my eyes, and look at the other stones. Well, this stone was special.

Five characters. Two Kanji, three Katakana. Together they spelled out Mama's name.

That's right, my mother was dead. It still felt so surreal, so as if I am dreaming. The funeral was less than a week ago, and it was the first time I visited her grave since then. But why did I decide to go here, today, all alone? Did I want to deal with the grief, like many people do by visiting graves? Did I want get over it? No, there was another reason I was standing here.

I heard the splashing of water in the distance, footsteps came from my right, felt closer with every second.

Ah, yes, It was because of him.

"You're late.", I said out loud when I knew he was near enough to hear me.

The footsteps came to a halt. He stood right next to me now.

"How much? Because according to my clock I am almost punctual."

"Four days." I told him. Yes, four days, that was when the funeral was.

He stayed silent. I guess he was thinking of an answer. I didn't move to look at him, my eyes were still locked on her name. After all, it also was my name.

"Why weren't you there?"

"I told you I had to work"

"As a teacher?", I asked him. What kind of teacher would have to do such work, that he wouldn't be able to attend the funeral of his wife? Or was she his ex-wife, now? Were they even married in the first place? They did have the same last name when I grew up, but that doesn't mean that she had had to change it, given how common our name is.

"Yes."

Liar, I thought. He was just heart-broken and didn't want to have anything to do with it. He ran away.

"So, why did you want to meet me here?"

Why did I want to meet him? That was a good question. There were a few reasons, the most important was:

"I wanted to talk to you. Face to Face. Not over text, or video or audio transmission. Just you and me."

"So. And what did you want to talk with me? I suppose it is important."

Yes it was.

"You know what I decided to do from now on,now that she is gone.", I half-asked , half-reminded him.

He didn't answer for a moment.

"Yes." he finally said. "You were planning to live on your own, while I would supply you with enough money to live."

He said this words, and I understood how sad this would make him.

"You remember", I said. Now was the big time. "But I have thought in the last days."

"About what?" he asked with slight fear.

His offer, I told him.

"You thought about my offer?"

Yes, and I think I will accept it.

I practically heard him turning his entire body to me, his surprise was very obvious.

"What?"

You heard me right, I will accept your offer.

"But I thought I was joking. You actually took it seriously?"

Yes... No... In the beginning I couldn't do it. I was still mad at you for abandoning me. But after that I pondered on it for while and I think I was too hard on you. I mean..., I drifted off. It was clear to us both what I meant.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

You showed me that parents are only human, and are generally flawed.

"This too was written in the books I read you as a child."

I don't care.

"Lovely."

We stayed silent for a while

"You really want to move in with me?"

Yes.

"I live in Nishinomiya, my home town."

And?

"That's pretty far from here. On the other end of Honshu."

And?

"It means new school, new home, new neighbourhood, new..."

New mother?

"Well, no. I live with my sister, and since she is a mother she can be a little... exciting. You should be able to remember her.."

I searched my memories for images of my aunt. She was a woman full of energy and she had passed this energy on her son, my cousin. I loved playing with them when I was younger, and I haven't seen them in ages. I certainly want to meet them again, they were a fresh air compared to, well...

"..But I have no girlfriend."

Of course not.

"Is that all? I have some things to take care of, after all they are the reason I am in Tokyo, then I have to go back home. What will you do?"

I am old enough to take care of my flat until the moving company arrives.

"If you think so, then I trust you. But now I have to go. Goodbye."

He left the graveyard as fast as he entered it. I stayed there until it went dark. Before I left, I talked with her grave. I don't believe in an after-life or something, or that she could hear me, but I did it anyway. Because I just wanted to say those words aloud.

"Goodbye, Mama. I hope I never see you again."

* * *

It was a few days later.

I stood in front the building which address was displayed on my phone. It was a nice house, larger than any flat I lived in Tokyo. I checked the name plate again. Yes, there were four people. My aunt, her husband, their son and my father. So it was true and he did move in with her. Was he too poor to afford his own home? Or was that building that expensive that they needed two workers to finance it? Just standing there would do me no good, so I decided to ring the bell.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. I shouldn't be surprised, I said to myself. After about one minute I heard footsteps running to the door, and a small boy opened the door. He wore a gardening outfit that seemed a bit too new. He eyed me intently, pondering who I was, and if I was trustworthy.

I was wearing the school uniform of a school, I would never visit, simply because of the fact it was in Tokyo, but I had it lying in my wardrobe for a while, and I did want to wear it at least once. It was a female blazer of the business type version, a contrast to the sailor outfit I wore in middle school. I had a backpack containing my most important belongings. My short, pitch black hair was done in a simple style, I had recently cut off my ponytail and now my hair was about the length of my shoulders. It was my way of re-creating myself.

My cousin looked from my feet on upwards and finally his look fell on my blood-red clasp. I've had it since I was a child, it was a present chosen by him when he was 5 years old and I have held it dear since then.

He called out _something. _I suppose it should have been my name but in the end it was something incomprehensible as he literally jumped at me and hugged me. Ahh, stop it, you're ruining my uniform! As I tried to untie myself from my cousin's grip, I noticed that his mother had finally arrived. She, too, wore an outfit fit for gardening.

"Arashi-chan, be polite! I'm sorry, he-"

She suddenly stopped talking, looked at me with wide eyes and finally found her composure, before showing a million-watt smile.

"My goodness, Kori has grown so big!"

Yes, Auntie, it's been five years, what did you expect?

By the way, Kori would be me. My aunt was the one who first called me that. The last time I visited my long-time-no-see aunt, she suddenly said to me "My goodness, Kori has grown so big!" in exactly the same tone. I at first thought it was funny and also started to call me Kori. It never really catched on until my parents split. I started to despise the name I shared with my mother. I wanted to be different. After that the rest is history— my friends, upon hearing me insisting on calling myself Kori, decided to follow my lead. And soon I was Kori to everybody, but my parents. My mother never liked the name, my father pretty much ignored it on the few meetings we had.

"Oh you look so mature now." she said before hugging me herself. Auntie, please, your hands are still dirty! "Come in, come" I finally heard after ending the hug. "Everything is prepared for you."

She showed me around the house, where we would eat and the toilets. I distinctly remember them from the last time I was there, but the happiness my aunt showed was so strong I felt infected. Some people claim that you become happy when you smile, because certain muscles stimulate certain nerves that in the end produce certain endorphins that make you happier. I don't know whether or not this is true, but in that moment I felt how a smile began to cover my face and for the first time in the last month, I felt... happy.

"We also have a room for you!"

Indeed, my aunt had prepared a room for me. Since before moving, all my stuff was packed up in boxes, put in one big truck and moved across the country. I am glad that I did get the help from my friends, otherwise, I'd never made it. Did I mention that my father never came over again after that talk at the graveyard?

The room had everything my old room had: a bed with Mirai Shoujo Lyrical Nikki on it, a wardrobe of medium size cloths, a carpet, a desk with my desktop PC and... and...

A picture of my family. Me. Mama. Father. Together in a frame. Showing us like a happy, unbroken family.

What a sad delusion...

I took the photo out it's frame, held it a few seconds in my hands and then ripped it in half. The way it was torn now only showed my father and me on one part and my mother on the other. I took the piece of trash that was my mother and put her in the garbage can, while putting the photo of me an my father in case. Auntie just stared at me wide-eyed.

I left the room and went down the living room, where I sat down at a chair. After Auntie sent her son to watch TV, she finally turned to me and asked me the question I knew she would say.

"Why did you do that?"

Auntie, did you even know my mother?

"Not really..." Auntie said, her smile vanishing, "I met her the few times we visited you in Tokyo. It wasn't often that I got to speak with her since she married Nii-san, but I always liked her and thought of her as a nice person, that is, until when she said..."

When she forbade you to come again... five years ago. I still don't know what you or Father did that pissed her so off. I suppose you won't tell me?

"I don't know myself. Neither her nor Nii-san ever told me. They both pretty much cur off all contact to me. So you must understand when he called me one morning and asked me whether I still lived in our parents house, I was surprised"

So, is this your parents house, or not?

Auntie smiled again. "It is. Our parents decided to move to the country, remember?"

I remembered. My grandmother initially came from the country and when Auntie graduated and my father already knew my mother, they moved to my great-greatparents to enjoy the rest of their days. That I knew. What I didn't know was that apparently they gave their house to Auntie.

"Uncle, at the time my boyfriend, however was not finished with his degree and so we had to rent it initially until we had enough money income so we could live in this house ourselves. After that was fulfilled, we married, renovated the house and decided to start a family."

"Speaking of him, where is Uncle? I have not seen him. It is weekend, shouldn't he be here?"

Aunties smile becomes a bit more pained. "Uncle is..."

Dead? Please, say no, I have had enough dead family members for now.

"What? No!" she shouted before falling into laughter. "He is on a business trip. He works for the Tsuruya Hotel chain and as a representative he goes around the world."

That sounds exciting, I told her, but does that mean he is only rarely home?

"Sadly, yes. But now that Nii-san is here, he is like a second father to him. Or, well, he more is like the uncle he actually is."

You said, Father asked whether this was your parents house? Why did he ask that?

"This house has four rooms for sleeping. Three one-bed rooms, and one two-bed room. When they were young our parents wanted three kids, but after I was born they just felt it was too much work for more. So most of the time the third one was empty. When he came here, I let him stay in that room, while Arashi-chan sleeps in my room as a child."

Does that mean my room was Father's?

"Yes. But you won't notice at all. It was unused since the renovation."

Woo hoo. At least that was new. Speaking of new, where is Father now? He can't be still working?

"He is." Auntie insisted. "He gives supplementary lessons to Tsuru-ne- ehh, I mean, Tsuruya-san's children. The two of them had always be good friends, so he makes some extra money. Despite what it looks like, he actually pays rent for his stay here. I never asked that from him, but he thought it was needed."

I imagined my father working with little children that could barely understand the complex references he does from time to time. Whatever made him so popular as a teacher at Teitango, this Tsuruya-san liked it too.

"I'm home."

A deep voice came from the door and Arashi immediately jumped up and ran to the door.

"Well it seems we have someone we have to greet."

Auntie stood up and went to the door. From my current room I couldn't see to the door, but I knew who it was.

"Welcome home, Nii-san." I heard her say. I moved a bit and peeked to the door, and saw how they exchanged a short hug. She then took Arashi at the hand and walked with him past me into another room. I watched as my father changed and then entered the room I was in.

"Hello" he said, showing a small smile.

"Hello" I said back and stood up

"How are yo-" he began but he was cutoff.

A single tear fell from my right eye.

I stepped forward and hugged my father- no, I hugged Papa. And for the next minutes and hours, I didn't stop crying in his arms. I cried because my mother was fucking dead, I haven't really seen him for years, I was scared of my new environment... I cried because I had bottled everything up until that point.

Maybe that was my way of dealing with grief.

I was a child, after all.

* * *

The next day, Sunday, I woke up feeling... refreshed. In the days after Mama's death I couldn't sleep at all, but now it felt so easy. I could lie for probably another hour in this bed and just do nothing, waiting ages for something to happen and then discover it had been only 10 minutes. After I had fully absorbed the warmness that was my bed, I got up on myself, dressed and headed downstairs. I walked in to everyone already eating. Arashi was complaining about how he actually wanted some other kind of different cereals since the one they have, but Auntie just told him that they hadn't any left and he had to deal with it. Lovely.

I sat down next to Papa and took my first meals and for about ten minutes we set there like a normal family, eating our breakfast on a peaceful Sunday morning

"I wanted to thank you for listening yesterday. It really helped me."

Arashi had already gone somewhere else, and Papa was already finished with breakfast and working on something with his computer when I broke the silence.

"I..." Papa began, but stopped himself. "You're welcome."

Yesterday, I talked with Papa and it was the first we really talked. I told him about how I felt, how insecure and scared I was, and how my time alone with my mother changed me. And he is turn told me a bit about how he met my mother, and how they raised me.

And, most importantly, he told me the reason why he broke up with Mama, while I stayed with her. At that moment, I just sat there dumbfounded, because it was just too incredible to believe.

"We already got you the uniform of your new school." Auntie said when she came back and showed me it.

It was an ugly sailor uniform, I told her, I hate those.

"We know that. But you'll have to deal with it." Papa said without looking up.

Lovely.

"By the way, when do you want us to show you the city? It is a week until school starts."

You can show me the city today if you want, but actually I want that to happen when I made friends at school that show me the town from a teenagers perspective. I think that if a adult were to show me the town, I'd get the wrong impression of it.

I didn't really mean it that serious when I said that back then, so I had thought I made a joke. However, I didn't expect he would actually _find _some.

* * *

"And this the Koshien stadium. It is the home of the Hanshin Tigers since 1936 and the whole proud of Nishinomiya!"

The girl talking so pompous was Megumi Taniguchi, the daughter of a friend of Papa. Apparently she is my age and our father's knew each other from their younger days, but it was clear that my father and her father were two complete different persons.

"Megumi, please. I think she can see this herself."

Normally, I am the sarcastic one, but Kenji Kunikida can have his moments too. He is the nephew of another friend of Papa and it seems that he too was raised in that persons own special way.

Taniguchi and Kunikida were two the teenagers Papa made show me the town.

"No, I know these kinds of girls. They are pretty, and dumb, like those models."

As you can see, Taniguchi is quite the tomboy. Her whole altitude, her outfit, everything suggested she was desperately trying to be a man. She even uses Ore to refer to herself. While it is strange, but not that uncommon for girl to use Boku, Taniguchi blows everything out of the water Her childhood friend Kunikida, on the other hand, was the integral to her differentiate. He was calm and knowingly, but also seemed very feminine, something he tried to avoid at all costs.

Over the next week, we would spent every day together, exploring the town and having fun. A detailed description would only change this into a boring Slice of Life story, and since you came for something different, so I will skip to the interesting part. The first day of school.

* * *

The morning was too usual, like every other I had last week. I got up, dressed and ate breakfast, then went my way. When I arrived at the train station, Taniguchi and Kunikida were already waiting for me. I went with them together, and climbed the hill on that Kitago was built. It was a steep hill but I was awake enough to not pass out. Together we entered the entrance ceremony, in which the director spoke his usual stuff. It wasn't that interesting until I found and entered my class room. Taniguchi sat two seats behind me, Kunikida was two full rows to the left.

Our teacher entered the room with a look that said "I am going to try, but if you don't want I will not help you." He seemed to be around 40 but I had the feeling he was slightly older than that. He was wearing a white track suit, I assumed he was a sport teacher or something, and knowing sports, people could always look younger if they trained enough. He coughed in his hand and begun his speech.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the new school year at Kitago. First I will introduce myself. My name is Okabe Rintarou. Yes, this is my name and if I hear one Steins;Gate joke from you..."

He glared at us, then turned around and wrote his name on the board, and I noticed that while his last name was identical, his first name was written different from the character. When he was finished, he turned back and eyed us. Then he set up a smile that was so fake, you could think he lost a Miss contest.

"I am going to be your home room teacher. I am a sports teacher and the trainer of the Handball team. I will not go into great detail, but I can tell you that our team had always a shortage of member, and still we were able to win the championship a total of 4 times!"

Nobody spoke a word. It felt as if he expected an applause or something.

"I didn't expect one anyway." he deadpanned to himself. " But enough about me! You will now begin to introduce yourselves!"

He pointed at boy sitting in one of the front seats. After looking around for one second, he stood up and began to talk about himself. Him followed a girl, then a boy, and so on. After a guy named Sugita had finished his introductions, it was my turn. I stood up, looked around and spoke.

"I'm from Teitan Middle School, my name is Tadamichi Tsuneko, but I would prefer if you'd call me Kori. I originally come from Tokyo, so sorry when I speak strangely to you, because I don't have the dialect you have. I like reading and writing books and I am looking forward to work with all of you."

I sat down again, and waited for the rest of the class to finish. I eyed over to Kunikida to see what he thought of my introduction, he gave me a smile and winked, indicating that it was okay. I heard how the guy behind me stood up.

"From Higashi Middle School, Suzumiya Hikaru. I have to say this now, but I am a very busy person, so if you're not interesting enough, ergo not a person from space, a person from the future, a person from other worlds, or a person with extraordinary powers, that is ESPers, then sorry, but I don't have time for you."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

First thing's first: Yes, it is.

Well, this only took too long. I apologise for delaying this chapter for another week, after I already said about finishing it, the whole week only one scene was missing and I never had time to focus on this story. And this chapter doesn't even answer much questions, but instead lays new ones.

To how this will work. You remember "The Second Try"? In that story there was one chapter Post-TI and one chapter peggy sue. This will work almost the same way. One chapter is Kori in Kyon's time, the other explores her backstory. Sometime I may need two chapters in a time line, but the whole things is prepared like this.

The scene with Kori and her mother's picture was one of the first scenes I ever wrote for this story. It is almost unaltered and in my opinion is therefore a bit out-of-place given how thought out of a character she is. I am no teenage girl, I have no experience on that, so I'll keep it.

Also, apparently I love cliffhangers. And hate every one of you who dislikes them. Whatever. Thanks to everyone who viewed it so far, I am grateful to everybody. Spread the word! Bring it to the Tvtropes Haruhi Suzumiya Fanfic Recommendation Page, to forums, wherever you like! (And if you do that, tell me about it. I wanna see the reactions!)

The chapter title comes from a quote by Garrison Keillor saying "The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage._"_

If you need imagining Kori's looks, look up Mawari Zenigata from Seto no Hanayome and imagine her a bit older. Personality wise, however, you can ignore anything related to Mawari.

Ore is the manly, Boku the masculine, Watashi the gender neutral (but often female), and atashi is the feminine 'cute' way of saying "I" in Japanese.

I have no clue how Kyon's house is actually built and how many rooms it has. We sometimes see his bedroom, sometimes a living room, but we have no plan. Let it be my artistic licence.

A Hotel named Tsuruya really exists in Yamagata and if I remember right then they are more than just this, but a whole chain.


	3. P2: Lies, damn lies, but no statistics

_Count the __references__! Save, collect, trade for swell prizes!_

_Man, these chapter turn shorter and shorter. Chapter 4 will be longer, I promise!_

_And as always, you are my betas! Report any plot, logic, grammar and spelling errors via review or PM!_

_Why am I still talking, this isn't the author's notes!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Lies, damn lies, but no statistics.**

* * *

"[…] That's an important point you bring up there. You see, the moment of instant clarity that main characters have is one of the most powerful scenes authors can write, however it is important not to mess up. If a character employs unreliable narration in a first person story, because they are lying or worse- because they just _don't know_\- it is required to have clarity past this moment. The truth has to be distinguishable from the lies. Of course, this only applies to lies directly spoken to the reader by the narrator…"

-Kyousuke Tadamichi, from an Interview with Rena Mizunashi published on sosbrigadedotnet

* * *

It was when I say her eyes.

Those eyes.

Those were _his_ eyes.

Yes.

I understood.

I was no slider. This wasn't an alternative universe or something.

This was the past.

Why didn't I realise it right away? I mean, I should have. Then why did my brain insist I was a slider and not a time-traveller, with all these clues? Why did I look him in the face and saw someone who was not him? And I introduced myself to him as Kori… Shit... Would Jane Smith have been better?

Haruhi Suzumiya was standing right before me. Before you ask how I know her name, Hikaru had told me a little about his mother. You must understand that I am talking to you as if I was talking to you right there and then, but sometimes my adult me has to insert herself and give supplemental info, otherwise I don't think it'd be as understandable as it is at the moment.

Anyway, she was now standing before me, looking at me with excited eyes. She was smiling in a way that someone would consider 'manic glee'. What I said about her emitting an aura that made clear she was the boss? You could see it written on her face and on the armband she wore.

"So you're Kyon's cousin.", she said, examining me from top to toes.

Kyon. Papa. Whatever I am supposed to call you. Was there literally no better cover you could come up with?

I tried to look over to Kyon, but when I saw him, I didn't see his face. I saw Papa's face. Kyon was my father. It was a miracle I haven't realized that, but just because something is a miracle doesn't mean it's good. I was caught up in a time that is even before my birth, even before he met Mama. This much was clear, but it was only that moment that I fully realised that how similar he looked like his adult self. You'd only need to remove that beard of his and you'd get teenage Kyon.

Kyon looked at me with eyes the size of a Reichsflugscheibe at me and formed some words with his mouth. I didn't need to see them to understand what he wanted.

"Please play along." was his message.

Kyon, as I will refer to your younger self, I already have _some_ experience with bullshitting, and it is me that is caught here, so I will happily play along.

"Yes. Nice to meet you. You are?" I asked in my most ass-kissing voice.

She turned to look at Kyon, and then pranced herself in front of me.

"I am Suzumiya Haruhi, the founder and leader of the SOS Brigade. This is our clubroom and these people are my club members. Have they already introduced themselves to you?"

SOS Brigade. So, that's how it is…

Not really, I told her. They have told me their names, but I suppose the brigade chief could introduce them to me and give me her impression of them.

The smile I wore in that moment was even more fake then Koizumi's.

"Of course" she declared with an overly excited tone and went to the other side of the room to Yuki.

"This is Yuki. She is the president of the literature club, so most of the time she just sits here and reads. She is still an important member of the brigade. You may think she's not here at all, but suddenly when you are asking hger about something, she just spews out her knowledge and you just feel really stupid."

I felt impressed and unsurprised. She seemed like Hyou-chan with a less emotion. She was not paying attention to us, but rather read the book she had lying on her lap. "Mirror Dreams" read the cover. I didn't recognise the name.

"This is Koizumi-kun, my loyal second-in-command. He is a very reliable and helps us whenever we are in need. For example he provided a mansion for our summer and winter vacation murder mysteries."

"Suzumiya-san, you're flattering me." Koizumi said.

She then went over to Mikuru and held her at her shoulders. She was a bit too near for me, but if Mikuru doesn't complain, I don't think someone like me needs to interfere.

"And this is Mikuru-chan. She is the brigade's mascot! Look at her, she is so cute you can't resist. And daily she serves us her finest tea in her maid outf-"

Suddenly Haruhi cut herself off and looked at Mikuru from the right, then the left, then from above.

"Mikuru-chan! Why are you not wearing your maid outfit?"

Mikuru flinched and tried to form a reply. "I-I was un-unconfortable changing around h-her."

The irritation left her face faster than whatever, I'm tired of these comparisons.

"Good thinking Mikuru-chan! If you had already changed, she would have seen it. So let's change you now"

Mikuru couldn't even begin to form a "what" before she was groped by Haruhi. Though I am a female too, I averted my eyes. I don't want see someone with so big boobs, it hurts my confidence.

"You boys! Out there!" Haruhi commanded them, then she pointed at me. "You too! You mustn't ruin the surprise!"

I instantly turned around, and waited for Kyon and Koizumi to exit the room before I followed them and leaned on the, now closed, door. Koizumi was standing right of me, Kyon was on the left. They both eyed me, before Koizumi finally asked his question.

"So, who are you?"

My name is Kori.

He blinked a few times, then asked "Is that supposed to be a nickname… like 'Kyon'?"

Yes. I don't like my real name, so please don't ask for it.

Koizumi's smile had vanished, but it wasn't replaced my utter seriousness, but rather it's that he went from grinning to being genuinely curious.

"That wasn't my question. I was asking who you are, a name alone wouldn't suffice."

Kyon, explain to him what you know.

"Why me- .." he began, then he accepted my command. That's my mother's genes at work. "Okay, I guess." he pushed himself from the wall. so he was directly facing Koizumi.

"Let me give you a brief explanation. Today I woke up and she laid beside me, exactly as you see her now. Then she panicked, jumped out of my window, searched for people who do not exist and at the end she came back to me, because I was the only one that could help her. That's about it."

"In your bed…?" now Koizumi seemed surprised, then he stepped over to Kyon, leaned next to him and whispered, a little too loud ,"Was she fully clothed?".

"Of course. I said 'exactly as you see her now'. You know, I don't think I've dared to say this before, but it's exactly this shit that let's people think you're gay."

Now, I don't think I'll have to continue to describe Koizumi's reactions, because it would just be "surprised" and "curious" back and forth.

"You think I am gay?"

"I don't, but people will get the wrong idea when you do it. Just like with Haruhi being called my girlfriend."

Now that's some interesting piece information right there. My Papa and Hikaru's Mama. Were they once so close, that he had to purposefully deny it? Or was there really no relationship? Because he told me that he had a girlfriend in University, but could have that been Haruhi Suzumiya or someone else?

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't realize you were bothered by this." Koizumi found his grin back, stepped back to his side and eyed somewhere out of the window. "Besides, how can I be gay if I have a girlfriend?"

"…Koizumi was that sarcasm just now? You're evolving from a grinning kiss-ass to a grinning me." Kyon deadpanned before he realized what Koizumi had actually said.

"You have a girlfriend?" I finally chimed in. Well, I shouldn't be surprised, he DID look good. "Who is she?"

"That I'd like to know as well." Kyon spoke after a second of astonishment.

"Oh, I think you know her. You two met some time ago, didn't you?"

"Well in the last months I only met…" Kyon counted on his fingers, first one, then two, then three, then he stopped. "Don't tell me… Tachibana Kyoko?!"

"You guessed right."

"Why am I not surprised?…" He muttered "Is that the reason why you look so happy lately? Because you finally have a girl you can share your secrets with?"

"Yes, Kyoko-chan and I are indeed very close. We have so much in common, she is the only one who can feel how it is to be me…"

Ever since hearing the name Kyoko Tachibana I fell some sort of trance. Memories from that time came back to me until I muttered a single name. Actually it shouldn't have surprised me at all.

"Koizumi Kyoko…"

"Hmm, Kori, did you say something, ?" Kyon asked moving his eyes from Koizumi to me.

"Did she? I heard nothing…" Koizumi remarked and too moved his look to me.

Yes, me, a little louder so you can break time even more than you already did.

Suddenly I snapped out, looked Kyon then Koizumi. "Well…" I said, and-

"We're done!"

I fell back first to the ground, as the door behind was forcefully opened. Twice in one day, please don't let that turn into a running gag.

"I should've warned her." Kyon facepalmed. "Come up." he said as he held his hand towards me.

I took it and pulled myself up again, before I turned around.

Mikuru was now standing in a maid outfit that, I admit, looked very cute on her. She was blushing a little bit stepped forwards and asked

"How do you like it?"

Is looks very nice. I like it, was what I wanted to say, but I was interrupted.

"Is that new?" Kyon asked from behind me.

No, washed with Fewa for wool.

"Yes it is." Mikuru confirmed.

"I specifically bought it for the anniversary of the SOS Brigade and today is the great unveiling." Haruhi exclaimed proudly. "Doesn't it look awesome?!"

"I admit, you look like an angel." Kyon muttered and blushed a little.

"I think I can't form it into words. It's wonderful." Koizumi said, having found his grin back.

I couldn't keep up with it, and wanted to sit down on a chair, but Haruhi grabbed my shoulder and hold me. "Don't you think so too…"

She suddenly stopped. She squeezed my shoulder lightly, then my other one, then the clothing at my hips.

"Haruhi, what are you doing?"

Are they that close, that he calls her without honorific? In my time these pretty much went into unpopular for friends addressing each other, but this is the past, honorifics are still serious business.

"That's fake!"

"What's fake", I thought, and Kyon spoke out loud.

"Your uniform. It's fake."

"What are you saying? Wha-eh, How are you even able to tell that? It looks perfectly fine to me."

"Well, Kyon, if you had to wear this sailor outfit everyday you would be able to tell it easily. It feel a lotta different from mine. It's probably made of articial fibers as opposed to the cotton we use."

Well, my conclusion is that between now and my time they changed the properties of the uniform without changing the design. And these aren't artifical, by the way, they are 100% biodegradable. The only way they feel different is because they are from a different source.

"Well, would you mind explaining to me, why you have a fake uniform?"

Kyon interrupted me before I could have said something.

"As I have mentioned, during our Golden Week vacation at my aunt's place in Shirakawa, Kori and I have been talking about you, and apparently she was so eager to meet you, she made her own Kitago uniform from scratch, just so that she could enter the school on a school day and meet you like the Sempai you are to her."

Idiot! Don't give her any ideas! I don't want to play the swooning Haruhi fangirl kouhai for the next… time. Who knows how long I'll stay here.

"Oh... then stand there, Kori, and listen. For the brave task of creating your own uniform and sneaking into Kitago to meet me, you will get a prize!"

What kind of prize?

"I will give a detailed explanation of all the adventures and accomplishments of the SOS Brigades!"

"What kind of price is this?! You did that to the first-years for free."

"Oh, this one will be much more detailed. And this time not just me, but all of you will tell it. I'll be the main, and when you see it fit, give me your comments. I may be the leader, but a brigade is nothing without its lower members."

And while I looked at Haruhi, in the corner of my eye, I could see Kyon making an astonished face, which was then replaced my a light smile.

* * *

The history of the SOS is one that you should know about, given that you probably are here thinking this is Book 12. Let me tell you, it's not. Papa is working on Book 12, we promise. But in the time between the end of his last book, that was some when early April or so, the following happened to the SOS Brigade.

"Then after Watahashi Yasumi had to leave us, we prepared our slide show for Tsuruya-san's blossom viewing party!"

"And didn't get into any trouble, because everyone was too busy laughing. "

"That was what we were aiming for, Kyon! We entertained all of them the SOS Brigade way!"

"That's a scary way!"

I imagined normally way to serious businessmen laughing their asses of because of this group, and by Madoka, I couldn't find a thing wrong with it. That's glorious.

"After that things slowed down a bit. We're still pretty busy, but in a more domestic sense."

Where did that sudden change come from? From her declaration before, things were never quiet.

"Yesterday I flushed out our radiator." Kyon mentioned.

Lovely, Kyon, but no one will get that reference.

"But now that you're here, things will get exciting again." Haruhi said with a grin that showed more happiness than glee.

Oh, thank you. I didn't realise I was so important. I'll make sure to live up to your expectation

Suddenly, a melody played from someone's cell phone. It was a melody I knew.

"KISS, KISS, FALL IN LOVE"

Dear Hikaru, it was _that _song. One Haruhi wasn't enough for her.

"Oh, it's already time! Sorry, everyone, I have to go!"

Apparently it was Haruhi's cell phone, but from the fact that she just looked at it and then closed it, it was clear it was just her alarm and not someone calling her.

She picked out her schoolbag and other stuff, then left the room as fast as Google Fiber takes to download a set of BluRays.

That is to say, not to slow to think you are stalling, but not fast enough to think you are running

"We'll meet tomorrow at 9AM at Kitaguchi Station for another mystery hunt! Until then!" were her last words, then she closed the door and was gone.

About five minutes or so were spent just staring at each other, and I tried to ingest the history I just got told. Flyers, Baseball, a client searching for her not real boyfriend, Tanabata festival, a Remote Island Mystery, the making of an awful, _awful_, movie, (I had to watch it completely!), singing on stage, the Computer club Challenge, Kyon having a little accident and ending up in the hospital for three days, (Which actually scared me a bit), a winter murder mystery, Setsubun, the rescue of the Literature club and Yoshimi Sakanaka's dog, and finally Yasumi Watahashi, the middle school girl who stole her big sister's uniform to enter the SOS Brigade.

"Yare, yare" Kyon suddenly muttered.

Lovely. He really IS Papa.

"How convenient, that she has to go just when she is finished." Koizumi broke the silence

"If you say anything about her subconsciousness causing this, I'll punch you."

Subconsciousness? Could you explain it that to me?

"Eh…" Koizumi was taken aback. "Maybe telling you would not be that bad after all. You see when Suzumiya-san introduced herself one year ago, she wished for 'aliens, people from the future, sliders, and espers.' "

Kyon chimed in. "Let me make it brief. Haruhi is God so when she wished for it, she gathered us. Nagato is an alien. Asahina-san is a person from the future. Koizumi is a person with extraordinary powers, but we call him an ESPer because it's shorter, and you, Kori, would be the slider. I am maybe the only 100% human here."

God?

"It is easier to say she holds the power of a god, but none of us actually know what the true nature of her powers are." Koizumi explained

Ah, okay. What was that about me being slider?

"You said so yourself, didn't you?"

Yes. I did. But that was before I realized the truth.

"So, that's interesting, the fact that you come from another world. How was it there?"

"Pretty normal compared to this one" I offered after a second of thought. I must not make any mistake. I must not tell them it was poison, because they never said it was poison. "Can you explain more of this world to me?"

"Well, four years, _something_ happened. We don't know what it is. Nagato calls it an data explosion, Asahina-san a timequake, and Koizumi's organization got their powers that day. All they know is that it was Haruhi that did it. However, there are others. Other Aliens, other time travelers, other esper organizations. They believe that not Haruhi but someone else originally had these powers. Tachibana Kyoko originally belonged to this esper organization, but she deflected. Apparently she wasn't okay with what was happening, and now she is more of a normal girl."

Reminds me an awful lot of_ that person._

"And additionally she gives me information we can use in case of an emergency. But enough about Kyoko-chan, my organization will be surprised to hear that a slider has appeared. Asahina-san, Nagato-san, yours are already aware of her, right?" Koizumi completed.

Mikuru, until this second too busy with making new tea, as we had finished all pre-made during Haruhi's endless story. "I'm sorry, I told you everything I know. The rest is classified."

Kyon sighed. "That shouldn't be surprising. Nagato?"

Yuki nodded.

"Can you tell what you think of her?"

Oh, shit. If I remember right, then she…

"The Integrated Data Sentience Entity has not come to a conclusion about her. I cannot make a valid statement on this matter." Yuki spoke without raising her head from her book.

Thank you, Yuki.

"I was asking of you, not the IDSE."

"I will not let her be harmed."

"That's also not what I was asking."

Kyon, it's okay. If she doesn't want to tell now, then let her be.

He sighed again. "Okay. But, we can use your home to let her sleep, right? I don't think having a girl at my home would be healthy. Mom is pretty strict."

Yuki nodded. Well, that was settled. Now my next issue is to find out how I can prevent Kyon from finding out I'm his daughter.

"Kori, are you okay with that?"

"What, eh, sure…" I forced a smile on my face. I'm so sorry, Papa.

"Don't drift off like this." he worried.

"Oh sorry." I tried to apologize, but I doubted he'd buy it. He'll be suspicious of me, I knew that.

"Anyway, it is already late. Do you think we can discuss more about us and Kori-san tomorrow?" Koizumi said. "When we have the mystery tour. Or maybe at some other point."

"Sure, are you okay with it, Kori?"

Of course. It will give just enough time to think of a good lie.

"Good. If you excuse me now, I have some calls to make." These were Itsuki Koizumi last words, before he packed his bag and left the room, and the last what I say of him that day.

"Then shall we go to Nagato's place?" Kyon stood up. "Asahina-san, you still have to change, so you can stay behind, right?"

"Yes, feel free to go ahead."

Oh, shut up, or I'll turn into a lesbian.

Yuki simply nodded, closed her book, put it into her bag and went ahead. Kyon and I followed her.

* * *

"So Kori, how was your first day in another world?"

We were now on our way to Yuki's house. It was very clear that it was almost summer.

"I found some friends who actually believe my story, because they themselves experienced a pain in the ass phenomenon too." I deadpanned

"I wouldn't say Haruhi is a pain in the ass. I would be long gone if that really was the case."

"Say, Haruhi-san just forced to join the club. Why didn't you just walk away?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was exactly what I needed in my live. Do you want to know how long I believed in Santa Clause?"

No.

"You're missing out on a nice monologue."

I can monologue alone just fine.

"Is that the reason why you always silently mutter to yourself?"

That's genetic. What's the reason YOU always silently mutter to yourself?, I asked him, obviously knowing the answer.

He didn't speak a word until we arrived.

"Goodbye, then." I said, as he walked away.

"Bye" were the words of Kyon said, and that was the last I have seen of him that day.

As Kyon left, I looked at the building. Yuki's flat was in an apartment block I knew. She produced a key out of her uniform and opened it. We then went to the elevator. We were on the highest level when we exited. She went ahead, and opened the door to a flat I knew.

708.

We entered it together. The flat was more spartan that I expected. On one wall, a TV system was installed, in the middle was a kotetsu. There wasn't anything else.

"Here."

She pointed me to follow her. She opened on of two doors and behind it were two futons, lined up in the middle of the it. The rest of the room was empty.

"Take one."

I chose the one nearer to the door and began my preparations for going to sleep.

* * *

Fortunately, I didn't have to sleep in my school uniform, as Yuki borrowed me a spare pyjama. Now, fully dressed and ready I was lieing in my futon, while Yuki was standing next to me. When I was finished, she turned to leave.

"Wait." I stopped her.

She didn't make a move.

"I want to thank you." I suddenly said.

"For what?" came her weak response.

"For lying to them. You know who I am, right? That I am his…" I drifted off. She'd know what I mean.

She said nothing for a while.

"Yes."

How?

"DNA and data manipulation analysis."

Of course… but…

"We already met, didn't we? Back then…" I asked her, obviously knowing it was true.

"Yes. I remember."

"Did you know I would come back?"

"No."

"Were you surprised I came back to this time?"

"Yes."

Okay… So she didn't know anything.

"You said the IDSE is conflicted about me. Is that true, or was that another lie?"

"It is true. You're appearance sent the Entity into a state of conflict. The planned path was altered. The Innovative faction wants to use you as a hostage to revoke the threat he made on the 21st of December 2006. The Moderate faction wishes to ignore you and to increase contact with the Sky Canopy Domain. The main faction, that is my faction, the Thinking faction, wishes to include you into the list of persons that are to be observed. I do not know the plans of the Compromise faction, but neither it nor the Thinking or the Moderate faction wish to induce adversarial behaviour in him or other members of the SOS Brigade. The Innovative faction however wishes to eliminate the thread he and I pose."

"So that's how it is… Well, we'll think about how I can get back tomorrow, okay? Good night, Yuki-san."

However Yuki didn't immidiately leave.

"Can I ask you one question?"

I hesitated. Normally, people like Yuki or Hyou-chan would just bluntly ask the questions. It was the first time she had specifically asked such a thing,

Sure, I told her. What is so important?

Yuki turned around and asked me "Do you think he knows or suspects that you are his biological offspring?"

I hesitated again. But I knew the answer, or at least, I thought about it and came to an conclusion.

"Kyon? No. He has no clue. My Papa? Yes."

Yuki blinked once, then she turned off the light, turned around and closed the door.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Apparently is apparently my new favourite word.

The chapter title comes from a quote saying "There are three types of lies - lies, damn lies, and statistics." commonly attributed to Benjamin Disraeli.

The "Reichflugsscheibe" is a the name of a project that was said to be done as one of the "Wunderwaffen" by the Nazis at the end of WW2. There most defining treat was that they were essentially flying saucers. However, it is commonly accepted that such a project is purely fictional.

Fewa is a German detergent brand that had the slogan "Is this new? No, washed with Fewa for wool" though I have no clue how Kori knows of that brand. They must have expanded to Japan in the future.

The name 'Kyousuke Tadamichi' was created by Brian Randall. I use it without permission, since he is, well, dead.

Finally a chapter that doesn't end with an immediate cliffhanger. I think during the time I was supposed to write this I spent way too much time on Nico Nico Douga watching HaruhixRailgun and HaruhixDurarara and HaruhixHigurashi and HigurashixDurarara and a whole load of other MADs. Sorry about that. The draft for Chapter 4 is currently at 0 words, even when the general events are already thought out. Rejoice, it will only take too long, as in the last chapter I spent one week sitting on a draft that lacked the Taniguchi introduction scene. This time I almost skipped the Yuki, Kyon and Kori go home scene.

PS: You must assume that I am sometimes "literally translating" from Japanese so "that person" for ano hito and "That time" for ano toki will be used to refer to vague things that shouldn't be fully disclosed just yet.


	4. F2: It happens all the time

_It took too long! But longer chapter = longer wait.  
_

_As always, you are proof-reading, so report any parts where I seemed to forget to finish sentences._

_Count the references! Save, swell, trade for sweet prizes. (Even this sentence is a reference)  
_

* * *

"When writing fanfiction, you have to remember that your usual reader is a big fan of the franchise you are writing about, I mean, is there any other reason why they should read it? These readers therefore have very good knowledge of the series. Such readers are smart. Very smart at that, otherwise Detective and Mystery Stories wouldn't be as big as they are. [...] In conclusion, they will try to suck up all information they can get. When dealing with multiple perspectives, for example with the introduction of a new First-Person Peripheral Narrator, this can lead to redundancy and readers omitting parts they already know the information of. Try to avoid writing such info dumps as best as possible, however if it's absolutely needed, write the scene(s) so that they resemble previous scenes but are whole different to read. Improvise!"

\- Poster "The eternal child", in a "How to write good fanfiction" compilation thread on sosbrigadedotnet

* * *

**Chapter 4: It happens all the time**

* * *

In anime, especially harem shows, it sometimes happens that the protagonist, who, in order to be more relatable to the audience that is overly dominated by males, is as bland as they could, usually says something like "My name is Something Someone. I am just your average teenage high-school boy/girl." Well, I am not going to do that, because, you see, I am not normal. In fact, nobody is normal, as there is no such thing as being 'normal', if you want to know why true normality would be bad, watch the Spongebob episode concerning that, it's pretty good. But in the whole world, there is nobody that is normal, and there are a lot of people in the world. A lot. The current world population is a little lower than 8 billion people, a little less than 120 million of them live in Japan alone. In the last decades the population has been steady in industrial nations, in some countries like my own birthrates were even declining. It would take another 10 or 20 years or so until all the baby boomer would die, resulting in a massive drop of population in these nations. However in newly industrialised countries and developing countries it is still booming. India recently placed as the biggest country, after China's population fell under India's 1.25 billion due their one-child policy. And all over the world, people are the same. All have insecurities. All have dreams. All have something they can and something they don't. Go outside. Walk a bit around, maybe around the neighbourhood or where ever you live. Now, how many people were there? It doesn't matter. Each one of these persons have a live as you, maybe better, maybe worse. But they are conscious of everything, exactly as you are. They all are worried about tomorrow. They all have dreams, all have feelings. Even you have dreams, don't you? Then why are you listening to my pathetic story, and don't work on that dream? Because I can't anymore.

When I was young Papa used to tell me bedtime stories. They weren't fairy tales. Yeah, of course I got them too, but Papa's stories were different. His stories were, sometimes depressing, sometime hilarious, but always interesting. They included stories about aliens who come to earth, sometimes in peace, sometimes not, about worlds in which magic and science battle against each other, about people whose job it was to monitor time travel, and about mystical espers who served the true good. And these were the easy understandable stories.

Looking back, these stories were a bit like Twilight Zone, but less... mind-fuck. There is a concept that says that all humans are, at the time of their birth, _tabula rasa_, and that after that birth, this empty blackboard is written on by the people around us. Our childhood defines our adult life. I don't get the full theory, but I can definitely say that it was these stories that were what made me today.

And some day, I guess it was somewhen at the end of primary school, we got asked what our dreams were and what we wanted to be when we grow up. My friends wrote things like 'Become famous.' Becoming famous was, at the time, the last thing I wanted to do. Daily you read about idols and music groups, actors and singers, people who get judged by the media for every little thing and every little step. An idol has sex with every member in her band, but the bassist? Fired. Idols are to be pure. Leader of a Boygroup is found smoking recently legalized weed? Fired, celebrities should not take drugs. If I were to enter the idol stage, or become otherwise famous, I could only imagine myself as a cynic, someone who plays the happy Genki Girl on the outside, but is actually deeply scarred, emotionally and maybe even physical.

Another girl wrote 'become a wonderful bride.'

I tell you, I was never a Christian, nor did I ever belong to any other religion. However I am no atheist either. I thought that people who are very outgoing atheist are just as bad as Bible Belt Christians. I never wanted to be a bride, not for the reason that I never wanted to marry, far from that, but that I didn't want to enter a church in a white dress I will never use again for the rest of my life. And don't get me started on the various types of Japanese weddings, be they shinto or whatnot.

But that doesn't mean I didn't believe. You see, my dream was to find out if aliens, time-travellers, sliders, espers, youkai, magic, god/s, or you name it really exist.

But I wasn't really the type for that thing. All I did was sitting in front of the TV and watching shows about UFOs and how the early Homo Sapiens may or may not have been visited by aliens that gave them basic knowledge. According to Star Trek, the greek gods were aliens, after all. I read books about time travel, from Asimov to Wells, until I practically breathed the knowledge of the many concepts and possibilities. I analysed mythology searching for the connection of today's society with old motives hidden in this story. But...

I was a too passive person, I never planned on going out and actually trying to find what I was looking for. I once bought a lot of those pseudo-science magazines, but now I look at them in disgust. They are too low. I can see through them, I could why a sentence was worded a special way: in order to attract more readers. I outgrew them the same way I outgrew the UFO shows or other of these pseudo-science documentaries.

I used to be one of them, but I stopped. I still wished that these things really existed, I just didn't care on the outside. I was planning on being as normal as possible. 'Maybe, possibly, maybe I will get to be the chosen one?' was what I thought. But the possibilities for that to happen are way too small as that would actually happen. And I knew that.

That was about one week before my mother's death. When I decided to move to Nishinomiya, I decided to start a new, or maybe just different life, so you must understand, just how I reacted to meeting Hikaru Suzumiya.

* * *

"If you're not interesting enough, ergo not a person from space, a person from the future, a person from other worlds, or a person with extraordinary powers, that is espers, then sorry, but I don't have time for you."

How would one react to such a statement? Calling everything but aliens, time-travellers, sliders and espers uninteresting. Some people would think "What a weirdo...", others would think "Are we supposed to laugh now?"

I did neither. I was stunned by the speaker.

He was boy my age, a bit older maybe. He was tall, 175 cm, no, maybe even taller. He would triumph over me with my 165 cm, and I was a girl big for my age. His hair was brown, short and messy. He wasn't a bishonen, one of these handsome fellows, but he wasn't ugly either. And his eyes...

His eyes were filled with passion, just like Papa when he explained his stories

He looked around once, twice, then he sat down. I turned back to Okabe-sensei, who was burying his face in his hands.

"Next", he muttered under his breath.

Megumi stood up and introduced herself. No one looked anymore at the weird fellow that was before her.

The following days, Hikaru Suzumiya calmed down. After his big speech, there was nothing. During breaks you could always either see him sitting in his chair, looking out of the window, or just staring into space. While in Tokyo it wasn't that uncommon to get neural implants, that could theoretically give you access to the internet, similar to the _the_ flop of the last decade, Google Glass, only it weren't glasses, but direct linked to the optic nerve, I think that a backwater town like Nishinomiya is fairly devoid of them, even if it was legal for them to be implanted into minors. Sometimes he ran out of the room and only came back a few minutes before the end of the break.

But his weirdness began to show itself. It was in small burst. But it was there.

1\. His uniform was done differently each day of the week. On Monday, he was the tidiest, most well dressed student. But on each day, one thing on his uniform got more casual. On Tuesday, his sleeve buttons were undone. On Wednesday his blazer buttons were undone. On Thursday his tie was pulled out by a little, and finally on Friday his shirt was pulled out. I would like to see how he would change his uniform on Sunday. Not that he had any reason to put it on that day.

2\. There was this thing that he was more or less shameless. Sport lesson are split between genders and are done together with class 1-6. Because the school, other than Teitan Middle School, didn't have its own rooms for changing into sport uniforms, we would change in our classroom, male in the 1-6 classroom, females in the 1-5. It was one day, when we were all in the middle of changing, when suddenly the door opened. Now, opening and closing the door is nothing uncommon, but it was rather that Hikaru Suzumiya of all people entered. Now, I don't like being seen half-naked by boys, but I am not of those hot-blooded tsunderes that regularly punch people because they saw them changing, sometimes even when it's completely not their fault, but in that moment, I, and probably all other girls in the room, wanted to beat the crap out of this guy for wanting to peek.

But what did Hikaru do? He went straightaway to his chair, all while his eyes were focuses on his bag. When he arrived at his chair, he just took it, turned around and went his way out of the classroom. When confronted with it he just said, "I forgot my bag. I don't care about your bodies. I did not enter to peek. If I saw you naked, that'd your fault."

Going by this logic, it seemed he didn't give naked women more attention than anything else and that they were to him at the level as potatoes.

3\. He joined every club in the school. Every. Single. One. On one day he would go to the Tennis Club, just to leave it after half an hour and join the football club. Then in the end you'd see him in the Light Music Club, and some other time you'd find him who knows how that club was called. But the outcome was the same- he went his way, almost always followed by club members wanting to get him to join, and him declining every one.

Just what did he want? The worst part is, I couldn't help but look for him. Not on purpose, but only when he was near to me.

He, somehow, was interesting. But that was not the start.

* * *

It all began after Golden Week. The first day of school, to be exact. I was walking the way to school, after I had already done the first part with the bike. It was the goddamn hill, which, at this rate, could very well replace PE.

"Yo, Kori, how are you?", came a voice behind me. It was Megumi, walking behind him was her childhood friend Kenji. The two of them had smiles on their face, it seems that they had a nice vacation.

Not bad, I told her.

"What did you do during Golden Week?"

I visited my maternal grandparents in Tokyo, if only for a short while. As my mother was an only child, I am the only family they had. But they had always loved me regardless. They had also liked Papa, but on my visit I somehow felt how her death had also affected them, and that maybe, just maybe, they have been blaming him for it.

"Visiting family. Harh. I'd never do something so boring. Kenji and I worked part-time."

Oh? May I ask who took whatever drug you had to have taken in order to accept resumes from you, Megumi. It was probably Kenji that did all the handling.

"Wanna know who we worked for? Well, Kenji here worked for some transporting firm as a planning assistant or something."

I knew it. That guy was smart!

Megumi continued, "As for me, remember that time we talked about anime, and you said that I sound a bit like that one Seiyū?"

Yes, I do, but what does that have to do with anyth- I You don't say?

"Yep! I looked at all the cosplay café in the area and I got a job in one of them as one of her most famous roles of the last decade. I was the star there, I loved it, they loved me, and I made big money of it."

Ah, okay. Nice to see that you feel good. I guess that means that Megumi is one of those eccentrics that are idiots normally, but when giving a task they love, they become ridiculously competent.

We entered the school together and talked about more meaningless things, but as soon as I entered the classroom I saw Hikaru, sitting quietly in his place. You'd might think that he, sitting there, was just your regular high-schooler. Look again. He was sitting with a scowl on his face, observing the class. There is no way you'd know who he actually was.

I sat down and looked at him for maybe three seconds. Something was possessing me, because I actually wanted to talk to him. Then I tried to open my mouth, but Okabe-sensei entered the room in this moment, and I was cut off from what I was planning to say. Instead I got my chance to talk with him at lunch time. You'd think he was gone right away, but he actually stayed a bit. Enough for me to start.

"Hey, about that stuff in your introduction."

"What do you mean" Hikaru asked looking down on me.

"Were you serious about the aliens?"

"Are you asking that because you're an alien?"

"I am not, I am asking because-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Then shut up, you're not interesting" was his response, then he looked away again.

Well, okay, Mr. I don't care, then I will eat my lunch with someone else. After Hikaru stood up and left the room, I too got up from my seat and sat myself next to Megumi and Kenji. They had listened to my conversation, and Megumi already asked me.

"Don't you too think he is goddamn weird?"

Weird is broad word. And, well, I expected him not to be a dick.

Megumi laughed. "You just don't know Suzumiya Hikaru like I do!"

You know him? From Middle school, you mean?

"Yes, of course! I spent three years in the same class as Suzumiya. Back then, he was like the weirdest-."

She gesticulated, searching for the right word.

What did he do? Draw graffiti on the school?

"What?" Megumi almost shouted and began to laugh rather violently. I turned to Kenji for an explanation.

"It was years ago, in Megumi and my old middle school, that there was a first year girl who snuck in the school late at night and drew this huge weird lines. My uncle told me about it when I asked him, after I heard rumours surrounding it. He called them NASCAR lines done by Canadians."

I think it was the Irish who were always drunk. Get your stereotypes right.

"No one actually saw who done it. But the following day, this girl claimed to have made them all alone."

A little girl, all alone, drawing lines. Hardly imaginable. Didn't she get any help?

"Well, there weren't any security camera or something. And if I remember right, then she too..." Kenji muttered then fell into silence. He pondered something. Hey, what is she too?

"Well, what he did was thankfully not that bad, but it was as weird as that. One time, he wrote 'I'm waiting' on his desk. Sounds normal, right? But besides Japanese he wrote it in English, German, Italian, French, Chinese," She counted on her hands the amount of languages she mentioned. "Korean, Spanish, Icelandic, some other nordic languages and Esperanto."

You seem quite knowledgeable, that you remember all these languages.

"Well, of course. Because the next day," Megumi spoke harshly, "they were written on every single table in class."

What?

"And they are all written the same, as if he had copied them with a scanner."

You know where I come from that's not that impossible. Wasn't he punished?

"Of course he was! The school made him clean all the tables. He used permanent marker, so it was quite difficult, but he made it in one day."

So that guy did something stupid and got reprimanded, but the way you were talking made him sound more weird than that.

"Oh, it's far from over!" Megumi reminded us. "The thing is that this made him extremely unpopular with the boys from the upper classes. Don't ask me why. That's when Sanagayama, the biggest school bully, decided to teach Suzumiya a lesson. Do you want to know what happened?"

Of course, I told her. Megumi smiled and punched in my direction. I reflexively closed my eyes and jerked back my head, but only air hit my face. I opened them back again and saw her stretching out her arm, as if she was wanting to give a brofist to my face.

"Boom. Suzumiya punched him once, after taking multiple hits from him, and Sanagayama went down like a sack of potatoes. From then one nobody ridiculed Suzumiya anymore. He was a fucking beast is human form."

Good God. Strong. Smart. Excentric. Bea... Handsome. What is this guy not?

"At least that was what the boys believed. But the girls immediately loved him. They finally had the hero that beat Sanagayama the Terrible. From then one he had a new girlfriend every few days, the longest one lasted a week, the shortest only five minutes. He always dumped them after some time with the sole justification 'that they were not interesting.'"

Megumi paused, looking at Kenji. "Why are you looking at me as if one of them was me?"

I'm sorry, I think there is a story I should hear. And Kenji, stop grinning.

Megumi turned back to me, and continued, "Anyway, by the end of second grade everyone knew what to make of him, and in the end it was simple, as long as not one bothered him, he bothered not one, well, aside from the usual things. And that's my advice from me, as your friend. Forget it. Ignore him and move on. You just even can't make proper conversations with him. You noticed it too, how he evades everyone trying to be his friend. He is a lost cause, society wise.

I initially planned on doing that, but because of you I think I am going to try something.

Three minutes before the end of lunch break, Hikaru came back and sat down on his seat. Since he was so near, I wanted to do something, just to prove Megumi wrong.

"Do you do that on purpose?" I began.

"What?" came his response. Perfect. Let's see if Megumi is right.

"The stuff with your uniform. It changes everyday. At first I thought it was random, but there actually is a pattern."

_Why would you pay attention to such a thing?_, would have been my response in his place, he instead asked, "When did you notice?".

"A while ago, but I didn't realize it until today."

"So..."

He was silent for a while.

"I feel like that every day of the week has to be somewhat different. On Monday you come in full refreshed from the weekend, and every day you get more casual until you are full casual on the Weekend."

I could understand what he was saying. I tried to come up with a good response, but you know Okabe-sensei's timing, and this time it was my fault for waiting until he came so shortly. But that wasn't the end of that day, no, I actually managed the impossible.

Walking home with Hikaru. Or, well, until the station where I left my bike.

It happened entirely random, I just happened to be as fast as him going out of the building. At the beginning I just walked alongside him, waiting for him to notice me. When he did that, he just turned his head back and continued to walk.

"When was the last time a girl walked home with you?" I suddenly asked him. I just wanted to get him to talk. Maybe I could break his shell. So much for "can't make proper conversation."

"The last time a girl went home with me was..." Hikaru began, then he stopped and turned to me. "Look, if you want to confess to me make it quick and now. Don't call later asking for a date."

Why would I do that? Confessing, I mean.

"Then that's good." he muttered, then resumed walking.

"I have heard about that you once had a lot of girlfriends, and that you dumped every one of them."

I did not give up.

"Oh, did you hear that from Taniguchi, that wannabe Virago? I know she tells everybody about it. Yes, it's probably all true what you heard, even if I don't know what exactly you heard. They just weren't interesting. I'd wasting my time with such a girl. They just wanted a boyfriend for the sake of having one, they weren't allies for my cause."

But they loved you after you punched Sanagayama. Surely one of them must have been of the 'Senpai' shrinking violet variant. Surely, you didn't want to break their heart.

"Sanagayama was an idiot that just tried to beat me up, so I defended myself. That's all."

We reached the point at which is was clear we had to part. However, he stopped after two steps, turned around and asked me something.

"Say, have I met you before? You seem so familiar."

No, I'm pretty sure we haven't.

"Okay." was all that he said as good-bye, but I could feel how there was a crack on the hull of his AT-Field.

* * *

From then something started between Hikaru and me, that some may call friendship, but I like to think that I was just the only one who actually tried to talk to him like the person he was, not a 0815 person. Daily we started some kind of conversation. It was mostly him ranting about society, and me sometimes agreeing and sometimes pulling up my own beliefs as a means of debate. Some time later, we were changing seats. In order for them to be all fair, we drew cards out of an old cookie box. My number was assigned to a seat that was in the last row, one seat right of the windows. Goodbye, Hikaru.

I was too hasty in making a comment on that matter. I don't think I have to tell you who was the guy who got the seat left from me, right beside the window.

"I heard you were thinking about joining a club. Were there any interesting?". I cautiously asked him in one lunch break.

"None. Absolutely none."

None. He seems to like this word. But in all these clubs, there have to be some interesting, right?

"There were some who sounded interesting on paper, but when you actually visited them you realized they were full of shit."

Supernatural club?

"Batshit insane ufologists. They have a picture of the Flatwoods monster hanging in their room, how screwed up is that?"

Look who's talking. Hikaru, you're not better than them, or are you one of those that thinks everyone more devoted to it is mentally sick and everyone less devoted is a fillty casual, who doesn't really believe?

"That's exactly it. We are humans, and it is important you don't lose your touch to society. If you lose your way trying to find aliens, time-travellers or espers, you are not better than Scientology."

That's a bold statement. And what's with people from other worlds? Didn't you want to search for them too?

"Occult Research Club?", I asked.

"A group of Highschool DxD Otaku posing as an Occult Research Club."

Lovely. Mystery Club?

"These are only interested in theory, but when I asked them to search for mystery, they all chickened out."

So, none at all?

"Totally none. And it's beginning to drive me mad. If that will continue, any semi-unnormal club will be enough in the end."

I somehow pitied him.

Alright, Suzumiya, let me tell you a story. In 1876 The Western Union Telegraph Company was one of biggest and richest companies in the whole USA. They had a telegraph network, the only one that properly worked, so in the end, for all intents and purposes they had a monopoly, Now okay, not just practically speaking, they _had _ a complete monopoly. They were the king.

Then came along a small man. His name was Gardiner Greene Hubbard. You probably don't know him. He contacted William Orton, the president of said company. He said "Hey, we have the patent for this new invention. It was done by Alexander Graham Bell, the husband of my daughter, I just helped to fund it. It is really a bargain: 100,000$" In that time, 100,000$ was a fortune, 'how incredible from them to demand that' thought Mr. Orton, and he replied to Bell, I can quote exactly "Mr. Bell, We have come to the conclusion that it has no commercial possibilities... What use could this company make of an electrical toy?". In other words, they rejected an invention, that was perfectly compatible with their current telegraph network, and allowed to transmit voices. The telephone.

In response, Alex Bell and his acquaintance said, "Screw you", and founded their own company, which eventually was named "American Telephone and Telegraph", or short AT&amp;T. In only an ant of time Western Union needed, AT&amp;T became the biggest telecommunication company in the USA, and while it's had been eventually dethroned it still is larger than what became of Western Union - a global money transferrer.

"And what's the moral of this story supposed to be?" Hikaru asked, bored. It seemed he had actually listened.

Hey, they say you're so smart. Find it out yourself, it's not really that hard.

Hikaru thought for one second, then he looked at me in disbelief.

"You say that if I want an interesting club, I should just create my own club?!"

I will not say it out loud, but, yes, I was telling him this story specifically to bring him to this idea. Why I didn't think of my own role in that club is still beyond me.

"That's an awesome idea." he declared, suddenly having found his grin back.

He stood up on the chair, putting his right foot on the table, and I could feel how everybody moved their head to him.

"I WILL CREATE MY OWN CLUB." Hikaru announced proudly, and the whole class was looking at him as if he just declared himself the emperor of china. Even Okabe-sensei, who just had entered the room with a "Sorry, I am late" was standing there, dumbfounded.

"Suzumiya-kun?" Okabe-sensei said with monotone, quiet voice. His face had lost all colour. I wondered why this teacher was so uncomfortable with Hikaru.

"Yes?" came the half-hearted response, still not moving an inch.

"Sit down please, class has started."

"Yes." he responded and set down.

* * *

After class that day, Hikaru didn't just wait for me to put everything in my bag, he actually filled it for me at lightning speed, before he just took it and me by the hand and dashed somewhere who knows where. We went through hallways, stairs and doors until we finally came to a halt in front of a room.

"This will be our new clubroom!" Hikaru presented proudly.

What club? Our club? No. Your club. I never said I wanted to be part of this.

The room was empty. Well, not really empty, but a lot emptier than I expected a room to be. The room's layout was that of a rectangle. On the right and left sides, a few cupboards were lined in front of plain walls. The front side had the door, while almost the whole back was window. There were two tables lined up to be one in the middle with a smaller, square table on its end and a total of six chairs, one behind the small, four around the two big, and one at the windows.

There was a girl sitting in one of the chairs, the one right by the window. She apparently had been reading in a book until the moment the door opened, now she look at us, a bit scared. She was slim, and smaller than average. Her hair was a grey that had a light blue-ish tint.

"I said, 'From now on this will be _our_ new clubroom!'"

He would allow no buts from me. Where even are we?

He pulled up his index finger, and closed one of his eyes.

"This is called the new building. You know some clubs like the Wind Ensemble and Art club have their own club rooms. All other clubs are in this building of the cultural department. It was actually being renovated for two years until it opened back this spring. That's why it's new."

Two years? In Tokyo such a renovation would have taken a few months at max. Goddamnit, comparing Tokyo to this town is like comparing Academy City to the rest of the world. Not as extreme, but it certainly felt like this sometimes.

I leaned to him, held my hand in front of my face and whispered, "And who is she?"

"Kongou Hyou. Class 2-6. I am the president of the literature club. Nice to meet you."

The little girl stood up and bowed before us. Now that she stood up, I could definitely recognize that she was about 155 cm. She was holding a book tight to her chest, the title read 'Hyperion'. I recognized it as it was a book I wanted to read for a long time, but never got to it.

She had heard me.

"Literature club?" I mumbled. Wait, doesn't that mean this room belongs to the literature club!?

"Of course it does. But that will be no problem, right?"

Won't the other members be mad that you just hi-jack their room.

"Do you see any other club members?"

The way we dashed to this place makes it hard to believe any casual walking person had any time to arrive here.

"There are none. The Senpai all graduated and now I am the only one left." Sempai said with a bit of sadness in her voice. It was a very soft voice, as if she was a wallflower talking to the gardener to not cut her.

Then why didn't you make any advertisement for the freshmen? I might have joined.

"I didn't have the power to do it alone. And Sensei said he was too busy with his work and his family."

With Sensei, I think you mean the advisor of the club, right?

"Who is the advisor for the literature club?" Hikaru asked, still having not lost his grin.

"My home room teacher, Tadamichi Kyousuke-sensei is."

Oh dear- it was Papa. Please don't be here, the conversations would be so awkward.

"And where is he now?" I asked her.

"I don't know." Senpai said, and I saw in her eyes it was the truth. Well, for a literature club, what was there to advise? 'Oh, hey, Hyou, watcha readin'?' would be said by nobody sane. Whatever the last Literature Club did, this one will probably only read books.

"So, Hyou, we can use this room, right?"

"Of course, feel free too. If I can still read, it's okay." she smiled and bowed again. Then she turned around, sat down on her chair again.

Incredible. This little girl accepted this so easily. Well, when you are all alone in this room, any form of company might do, and it doesn't seem like she would actively pursue social contact.

"So that's that! Kori, from now on visit this room every day after class, if not, heads will roll! But for now, you will go to the teachers and find out the requirements of forming a club, while I'll go scout for more members! We'll see us tomorrow!"

And with that he was gone.

"That will be unnecessary." I said out loud and whipped out my phone. A few tabs on the display later, I had a copy of the student handbook on it. I bet Hikaru either knew this, and just doesn't care, or he really doesn't know.

"Requirements for the founding of an association: A clubroom, five members, a teacher as advisor and an idea that is in accordance with the school's philosophy ", I read aloud a condensed version of said rules.

Oh, that will not end well. If you count me in, which Hikaru will certainly make happen, then we still need three people, a teacher and some idea on what we're actually doing. And then there's Papa and his confrontation with me. It's one of these things were you just know it will happen.

* * *

On the next day, Hikaru already went out during lunch, so I sat down with Megumi and Kenji. The two of them were already talking.

"I tell you, my father warned me. Sooner or later, they are gonna involve me in some weird project." Megumi snarled while taking a bite out of an apple.

Who will involve you in what?

"Oh, nobody. On another topic, what the hell did you and Suzumiya do yesterday. He was so on about this 'I'M A GONNA MAKE MY OWN CLUB, WITH BLACKJACK AND HOOKERS.'"

Megumi did her best at sounding histrionic like Hikaru, but it sounded too fake.

"Well, did he now? Tell us please, Kori." Kenji branched in.

Well okay. He got me to create a club with him. It doesn't seem to me that he ever intends on giving me a choice.

"Ahh, that sucks. Does that mean you won't hang out with us anymore?"

Oh, I'll still hangout with you, just not as often.

"Oi, Class Rep Yokomizu!" Megumi shouted. A girl in the most left column turned her head to us. "Do you wanna hang out with us?! Kori is joining a club and just two people is boring."

"I'm sorry, Taniguchi, but I am too busy. You and Kunikida are the perfect couple already, I would just feel like a third wheel."

That's what you are supposed to be! Megumi and Kenji must never realize their true feeling for each other!

"See, nobody wants to hang out with us except you. If I only had Kenji it would be way too boring."

Then talk to Suzumiya. I bet he'll listen to you.

Megumi scowled. "If that's your last word," Megumi said while finished her lunch. "then it was nice knowing you."

Don't say that as if I'll die.

* * *

"So, what are you reading"

Yes, I realize the irony.

It was already after class, Hikaru has run off to who knows where, and I was stuck with Senpai in the room that was apparently now ours. I thought that maybe I can start a few conversations with her, but I can't understand her. Yesterday, she was a shy, but friendly girl, but now she seemed like a doll, just with a little more emotion.

"Hyperion." she answered monotone. She held up the cover "by Dan Simmons." she added, this time I could hear some emotion, I wasn't sure which.

Is it any good?

"Unique." she said in English.

Okay, now I get what kind of girl you are. So you're primarily interested in Science Fiction?

"Yes." came a weak reply.

So, tell me, Senpai, do you have any books you can recommend me.

"Please call me by my first name."

"You mean like, Hyou..."

While in my time, pretty much any suffix in the japanese language has been made unpopular among young people, with only a few exceptions, I was uncomfortable calling her _yobisute. _

I decided to use an old honorific dedicated to friends of female gender.

"...chan?", i completed my sentence

"Yes. I prefer that." she said, and while her body did not move one bit, her lips curled upwards like touched Mimosa to form a smile like I had seen yesterday.

Can I go home already? I want to play with Arashi.

BAM!, went the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. It did take some time to find him." Hikaru announced after he had pushed open the door rather violently. He was not alone, in his hands was the left arm of-

"May I introduce to you? Asahina Masaru."

He was holding a boy. A small boy, only slightly bigger than me. His hair was blond and tidy, he wore the usual uniform buttoned and his tie was tight.

And he was cute. No seriously, I have no shota complex or something, but this guy was the living embodiment of that.

"Where am I? Why did you bring me here." Masaru Asahina wailed.

His face was full of fear, his eyes wide, and his mouth whimpered as much as much a dog puppy who had eaten a part of a BluRay and now was punished for it.

So, Hikaru, why did you bring in this shivering of a human being?

"He's a trap!"

A what? Why do you use English?

"A trap, Kori, trap! In every anime that relies on moe, you have to have a trap, an ultra cute character that looks and acts like a girl, but is actually a boy."

Oh, he means those.

"I mean look at him" he basically commanded me to, before he turned to him "Masaru, are you in any clubs?"

Shouldn't you ask that before you recruit him!?

"I a- I am in the Drama Club."

"Then you'll have to quit there, their time-table overlaps with ours!"

As if he is going to do that.

Masaru looked around, then suddenly his eyes seemed to fall on Hyou-chan before locking back to us.

"Okay, I'll join the...". he began. "emm...I think this is the literature club."

We, as much as I hate to refer to Hikaru and me as "we", are not the literature club, but an unnamed group that _temporary _uses this clubroom as his base.

"It is not unnamed." he corrected me.

Ladies and Gentlemen, everyone, please gather around, for Hikaru Suzumiya has to declare the name of this newly formed club. And it is...

"SOS BRIGADE"

That's a very silly name. It stood for "Saving the world by Overloading it with fun through the Suzumiya Brigade". Yes, he wrote it in full English. Apparently using Japanese was too common for him, so he needed to use English. What a pain. It was clear that the people in this backwater town actually knew only a handful of english, and instead chose to use it to pep up their everyday speak. It was stunning to see him actually using correct grammar. The second problem was the name "Brigade" implied that we were some kind of militaristic organization, which, given Hikaru's altitude, I think it's not that far off.

As it turned out however, was that 'Brigade', or at least its Japanese translation as 'dan', was an acceptable club suffix, and thus such a name would be accepted- given we had a purpose. Hmm, SOS implies to save somebody. 'Save our souls' or something, I think it stands for. We could be a club that generally deals with student's problems of any kind. We could be their SOS, saving their souls before drowning in the endless sea of school related problems.

Can somebody save my soul?

* * *

It didn't take long for Hikaru's next idea.

"We need a computer!"

We have a computer. See that thing standing there. It's a desktop. Suzumiya, surely you hillbilly must know what it is.

"I do." He said sternly. "And I am not a hillbilly, I was born in Tokyo. Anyway, I already checked it. It's freaking old. Windows XP, and the school domain blocks any outgoing packets from this and older Operating Systems, you know because viruses. We can't use it, it's best if we get a new one right away."

We don't need a new one. Like I said, we already have. In fact everybody in this school owns a computer in one form or another. I prefer my phone, others use tablets or laptops in this school. You have one too, don't you.

"I know and I do, but can we access the internet on those devices?"

Hikaru stomped knowingly through the room, while I sat there voicing my opposition.

I am pretty sure the school has its own WLAN.

Hikaru quickly turned to me and almost shouted.

"Exactly! But it's not available to the general student body, only to people who can prove that they'll need it."

You mean like clubs and classes?

"Yes! And do you know who has administration over the WLAN?"

Hmm, I suppose if it's not the teachers it's either the student council or the computer club.

I suddenly remembered which room was next to us. Hikaru, what are you planning?

"Kori, Masaru, we're gonna pay the computer club a visit."

* * *

Hikaru threw open the door and stormed in, Masaru and I had followed him, but stayed at the entrance, while he went into the middle and asked everyone,

"Good day everybody, how are you? Who's the boss here?!"

With a smile that was very warm, as if there was no malevolent intent at all.

"That's me. Who are you guys, anyway?"

The president of the Computer club was a little guy, even smaller than me, though only barely. Hikaru stepped before him, put his hand on his own breast and proudly declared.

"We are the SOS Brigade, I am the leader Suzumiya Hikaru and these are my followers Kori and Masaru."

Idiot! Don't give him our names!

He smiled. It was not a pretty smile, but rather a smile one did after it turned out everything went according to keikaku.

"Oh, I know exactly what you want! Sorry, but this time you'll fail!"

He sat up and pointed at the room's corners. In each of them one could see little black lenses attacked to boxes, whose cables went down the walls and disappeared somewhere behind the girl that was sitting in most remoted point of the club.

"You won't get away if you try to frame me for sexual harassment! Come on! Throw me to the ground! Take my hands and place them on the non-existent breasts of your friend!

Hey!

"But I'll have everything on video and it will show your plan! Ha. Haha. Buwahhahahha."

He turned into a laughing madman. It reminded me of those that evil people do all the time, but it sounded a lot more genuine than anything I could.

"Well somebody has a complex."

"Hahaa- eh, what?" The computer club president stopped laughing. His face was as if you just told them he is fired while making fun of the new guy. He eyes between us and asked, "What did you say?"

"I said somebody has a complex. I have no clue what you are talking about. No one in their right mind would do something like this. We are just here to get the WLAN password, we need it for the literature club activities." Hikaru repeated

"What? You're not here to..." the computer club chief shouted, with open eyes and shaking voice.

What... did he seriously expect us to frame him? That ppor soul that actually happened to...

"The WLAN password is all we need." Hikaru repeated.

Oi, computer club chief, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost, or are experiencing PTSD.

A cat smile emerged on the chief's face, he stumped across the room, before almost throwing open a cupboard, putting his hand in and pulling out a piece of paper.

"Here!" he shouted. His eyes were wide, he was breathing heavy. "Take it. And please never come back."

"Thank you." Hikaru said politely, took it, and went out of it. Masaru and I followed him.

How does Papa always say it? "Yare yare", I think it was. Yep, definitely applicable here.

* * *

The next day, Hikaru immediately stoop up when I entered the classroom. He was holding his hand on his chin as if he was planning his next plan.

"Do you know what kind of members we need?"

Sane ones.

"I think it's quite obvious."

Hikaru smiled and put his hand in the air, his index finger pointing to the sky.

"According to proper technique, we already have the cute moeblob and the Rei Ayanami clone, so next we need is mysterious transfer student."

I am a transfer student, and if you want I can pull a mysterious. Does that count?

"Of course not, we need one that transfers in during the semester. People who transfer in so fast have to be mysterious."

Never assume malicie behind something that could very well be attributed to stupidity. The same is for supernatural and natural. There are tons of reasons people could just suddenly transfer, like sicknesses or work, or anything.

"And I already have someone as my target..."

Hikaru wasn't listening to me anymore, and after class, I once again went to the literature club- or rather the SOS Brigade's room now. Why? I don't know why. Papa had gotten wind of my suddenly joining a club made by Suzumiya. Yesterday evening he actually had a talk with me.

* * *

Papa was sitting in the living room, reading what seemed to an old book. I didn't know how I should react, Papa usually had to work late, seeing him early was a surprise for me.

Oi, Papa, why are here so early?

"I have received something."

Lovely. What did you receive? Somehow, I could imagine what it is.

"Information, Number 6."

Why would choose to reference _that_?

"I had to do one, otherwise my role as a not boring parent would wipe away like-"

I get it, I get it, Stop these comarisons, I said. It wasn't hard listening to Papa and the stories and monologues he produced like a sometimes fine, sometimes broken record. He had the talent to produce fresh entertainment on a whim but usually decided to rehash the same, now boring, stories. He said that, were he not a teacher, he'd be an author. And I must admit his stories were fit for a sci-fi book, or, you know, Twilight Zone.

He put his book away and gestured me to sit down on the couch chair opposite of him. I hesitantly followed his suggestion, but chose a separate seat right of his couch. He probably wanted to talk to about something, he was always the one to endless talk. I wondered if-

"I heard that you and a boy named Suzumiya started an inofficial club a few days ago, in the room of the literature club."

I knew it. One week. I was recruited by him only a few days ago! How does he know?

"I have connections."

He folded his hand before his mouth and rested his elbows on his hands. "Did Hyou-senpai tell you this?" I asked him, because it was clear that it was her who supplemented him with this information. He flinched, and gave up his sarcastic façade.

"Yes."

What? I can understand that a parent is worried about the situation of their children, but please Papa, I can handle an idiot like him alone, no need to worry.

"It's not really you I worry about..." Papa laughed.

So who are you worried about? Please don't say Hikaru.

"How did Suzumiya make you join the club?"

Ignoring my question, eh? He dragged me by my hand. If I had a tie, or, worse, a ponytail, he would have used that for sure.

"So against your will. Will you stay in this club?"

He said that heads would roll if I don't. I like my head where it is. Also, to be honest, some change in my life might result in positive development.

"So." he lowered his head, and looked at the table as if he was deep in thought.

"But you don't date?"

Oh, no, definitely not!

"Hah. Okay." He stood up and made up to go to his room. "If Kongou is fine with, then I'll allow it. Just don't do anything stupid that I'd have to bail you out of."

Before he went to bed, he asked one last thing. "How do you feel around Suzumiya? Does he not annoy you? Or is that it would just embarrassing for you if I were to intervene?"

Suzumiya has just this thing about him. He makes me curious. I know next to nothing about him, and still I want to observe more.

Papa looked on the floor. In hindsight, I should have asked what's wrong, but back then I didn't have the knowledge that every little misunderstanding could lead to terrible fates, and that the more people talk together about their problems, dreams, and past, the more someone is prepared for anything.

* * *

So, I guess, there is your reason for me staying here.

Hikaru Suzumiya was interesting. So much I am willing to admit.

But just because something was interesting, doesn't mean it would only bring good. Nuclear bombs are a good example.

I was sitting in my chair, Masaru sat opposite me and played Chess with me. I was white, and I was winning. He had already lost both his rooks, one bishop and his queen, as well as five pawns, I only had lost one knight and two pawns.

"Rook to f6. Check." I declared. It was the third time in a row I was declaring Check, and now I was systematically hunting his king down.

"Oh, no what do I do now?" Masaru wailed.

I was pretty confident that I could now have a solid opinion on Masaru. He was everything Hikaru imagined him to be. A feminine boy, both in looks and his way of acting. An incredibly cute mascot. It's a miracle that Hikaru hasn't gotten any cosplay for him yet. Oh, well it has just been a few days, pretty sure every second Hikaru will come in and declare that he had found another member for the club and has gotten cool new outfits.

The door was, like always, being violently swung open.

"Hello everybody, meet the newest member of our brigade. Last week's transfer student for class 1-9 and her name is..."

I had been partly correct, at least. But wait, another girl?! Is he Makoto Itou, or something?

"I am Koizumi Joko. Nice to meet you." the girl next to Hikaru said.

She was a goddamn bishojo. Bigger than me, long brown hair done in a pony tail and huge breasts. She was smiling with a warm smile, one that you see in the faces of maids and butlers when they greet their masters, and follow their order in every way without complaining.

"Welcome to the SOS Brigade. I am founder and leader Suzumiya Hikaru. And these are my members Kori, Masaru and Hyou."

A great introduction, you just pointed at us one after another. But wait, Hyou-chan belongs to this club too?! When did this happen? It all goes too fast!

Hikaru didn't wait for her to continue.

"I think you already heard my name. I am new in this school and not perfect in every point, therefore I would find it great if you could show me everything. I look forward to working with you." Joko said, as she moved to me.

Ah, yes. You too heard my name. Can I call you Shoko?

"It's Joko."

Indeed, it was only the second time that I properly heard her name, the difference was minimalistic. 'Joko'. Now that sounds pretty unusual.

"Not more unusual than 'Kori'."

Oh, I have the feeling we will either be best friends or arch-enemies.

Joko turned around and asked Hikaru "So what is the objective of this club?"

"Hehe" Hikaru took a deep breath and proudly exclaimed, "To find aliens, time-travellers and aliens and befriend them."

I think that the term 'the world stopped turning' is an overused expression, but I swear, it exactly felt like that.

"Oh, I see, then I understand.", she said, and was still smiling as if Michelangelo had carved it in her stone body.

Don't act as if you are one of them!

"With that we have five members. Now the SOS Brigade doesn't have to hide itself among normal people, from now on we will shake the school's society to the core."

Oh no, what do we have to do this time? I am just waiting for the one thing that will launch us into utter doom, the point of no return, the moral event horizon, the thing that Papa'd need to bail us out of. The thing with the computer club could have escalated into something horrific. You probably were perfectly willing to do whatever he expected, if he hadn't expected it.

"Everybody can use the time to get to know each other better. Sorry but I have to go prepare things. Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow."

What? Now it was my turn to speak quiet and slowly with open eyes and shaking voice. I guess his declaration just took me by surprise, as soon as he was gone for two seconds I changed back to my normal self.

"You're playing board games?" Joko asked, walking over to Masaru's side.

No, we're doing homework!

There is pretty much nothing else to do. The whole computer thing is still on standby, having access to the School WLAN and not having to use my contract data was great, but other than that we didn't use the password for anything. So far, nobody of us has any real purpose here, even Hyou-senpai over there is just reading.

"Masaru, was it?" Joko spoke, while putting her hand to her chin.

"Eh, yes."

"If you want to escape check you need to beat the rook currently holding the king in check with this bishop here."

Masaru looked around, probably mentally playing out scenarios on what would happen after he'd do that, then he finally touched his bishop and beat my rook with it.

* * *

I won that game and all that followed, though only barely. Joko and Masaru alone were challenging enemies, but the moment they teamed up, they could crush me into pieces. Thankfully, they never really did, it was more that one gave the other advice.

It was almost evening now. Joko and Masaru began to pack their things for the day and left one after another, I stayed behind because I wanted to discuss something with Hyou-chan.

"Hyou-senpai, did you notice that Suzumiya already counts you as a member of the brigade?"

"Yes" she answered, her head tilting a bit to the right. "Why?"

"Don't you think it is rude to just include you into a club that was made in the room that belongs to you?"

"No. In fact, I have never met someone as funny as you guys."

Her smile was warm enough to melt the ice deserts of Antartica! I felt a sweat drop. Just how loving is this girl?

"I have a request. Could you please visit me today, around 20:00 in my apartment."

She handed me a piece of paper with an address and a room number. Wait, can't we just go home together?

"It is needed." she said in serious voice.

Okay, Okay, I'll do it.

* * *

Hyou's house was an apartment building I have never visited before. I dialed the room number for her apartment that was written on the piece of paper.

708.

It stayed quiet for bit, until I heard her soft voice answer. "Hello?"

It's me, I came. I am waiting in front of the door for you to open it, I told her.

As if she only was waiting for the "It's me", the door immediately opened and the connection to the apartment was cut. I entered the building and it took me a while until I found the elevator. I entered it and rode it up the top floor. I felt reminded of my apartment back in Tokyo, it too was on the top floor, and you usually have a pretty nice view from there, given that the world you can see from there was nice. Hyou-chan was already waiting when I exited the elevator.

"Good Evening, Hyou-chan.", I said, and smiled.

Hyou-chan said nothing, instead she just signed me to follow her. Her footsteps were, as if she wasn't there at all, but now and then you could notice she was human. Sometimes she tripped lightly, sometimes she eyed the rooms around her earnestly, sometimes she licked her lips or sneezed.

We were about to enter the apartment, as I looked inside. It was like a normal flat you'd see everywhere. In the middle was a table, I think in winter it would serve as a Kotatsu, an old TV set was on one side, a desk with computer on another. Bookshelves and cupboards were there, but they were few, but I couldn't see more, so I assumed that more of them were in other rooms.

"This is where Senpai lives..." I muttered.

"Yes, welcome." she spoke with a smile and sighed me to enter.

"So why did you tell me to come, Sen- I mean, Hyou-chan?" I asked.

"Sit down, please." she said with a stronger voice than I usually know from her.

I sat down on one side of the table. It was a low table, I had to sit on the floor, something I didn't have to do at home.

Hyou-chan went to the other side of the room and disappeared behind a door, then she came back with a tablet with tea. She gave me one, but I only drank half of it before I turned my attention to something different.

"Where are your parents?, I asked Hyou-chan.

"They are not here" came her weak reply

"I can see that, did they go-" I tried to say but-

"They did not go out." she interrupted me with a downcast face, yet serious voice. "They do not exist."

Wait, what? Everybody has to have parents. We are humans. The only person who would not have human parents, would be a clone or something, and I am pretty sure the complete cloning of humans has been banned, and only the cloning of specific cells for research purposes is permitted. I am not that knowledgeable on that matter.

"No. I am not a clone. I am an alien."

A what now?

* * *

**Author's Notes**

The chapter title comes from a line in the song 'God of Romance', made popular by Dance Dance Revolution. It immediately follows the line "Boy meets girl.", which holds true for this chapter.

The "Ancient astronauts" theory is a real theory first proposed 1919 that claims that humanity couldn't have evolved into today, weren't it for various aliens that descended from space. It is built on text passages in the Bible and Ramayana, as well as artwork which seem to depict astronauts or similar.

0815 was the short labelling of a German Machine Gun in World War I. In German it is a synonym for something that is so common and normal, it's bad.

The Flatwoods monster is a monster that supposedly appeared on 12 September 1952 in Flatwoods, West Virginia. It is described as being "man-shaped and clad in a dark pleated skirt; later described as being green. Some accounts record that the creature had no visible arms, while others describe it as having short, stubby arms; ending in long, claw-like fingers, which protruded from the front of its body." Today it is commonly believed the witnesses saw an owl.

Keikaku means plan. It's a Death Note inside joke.

Despite common, and Kori's, belief does SOS not stand for anything. It was purely chosen because it was easy to remember.

Makoto Itou is the protagonist of the Visual Novel School Days, and is generally known as the biggest douchebag and the biggest womanizer there is. In the Anime adaption, as well as some routes he proceeds to have sex with every girl in his class, and more, but gets this paid back to him in the most satisfying way. Well, for the viewer at least.

I still have issues with this story and as I think of too much and don't really know when to full let stuff happen or explain it. Note that not everything will be explained. The Canon series is known for not giving full explanations or only speculations, but I think when all is said and done you can figure everything out, it just won't be spelled out for you.

Update, Jul 2014: I haven't forgotten this story, it's rather that I already wrote everything I could write witouth the extensive planning I need for the rest. The next chapters are in production, but I am having so much to do with work, that it probably will delay itself a lot.


	5. F3: Exposition, Exposition, Exposition

Count_ the referen-  
_

_No, stop it. It's getting old._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Exposition, Exposition, Exposition  
**

* * *

"Unreliable Narration is definitely NOT the answer - when a future character has to call upon a moment from the past that the reader isn't aware of yet it's best to establish that the character HAS come to a conclusion but have them refuse to inform the reader. Having the character not address something at all until after the reader has all the details available to them makes it seem like the story was made up entirely on the go. Granted the development has to be something very major for this to work properly, so you can make mention of smaller things that the reader hasn't been let in on and have them recognize them when they get to that point in the flashback narrative. Refusing to divulge details should be reserved for something massive."

-Poster "The Messenger Crow", addressing a story with Anachronic Order.

* * *

You're a what?

"The technical definition is a Humanoid Interface, created by the Integrated Data Sentient Entity that supervises this galaxy."

Supervises? Is she talking about the force? Like some uber-dimensional thing without form?

"I never... never told this to anyone, so I don't know how do to it... Please listen to me."

I am already here. It's not like I have better things to do. OH WAIT!

"Okay, here goes..."

She took a deep breath, and suddenly talked much secure than before.

"In the last three years, it has been my mission to observe Suzumiya Hikaru. These three years were without any kind of external influences, they were peaceful. But now something new has appeared, a incalculable factor which is both not ignorable and not susceptible to indirect manipulation by both the entity or third parties."

Wait, not so fast! She had talked as if she had activated her escape boosters, but I was still able to get the gist of her speech.

That factor... that would be me, right?

"Yes. That is you."

Well, that explains why she tries to tell me this. it's because now, I am suddenly important.

"Yes. You hold the key to the manipulation of Suzumiya Hikaru."

So that means if I tell him about you telling me this, I can expose you to him. I mean, isn't an alien, or what do you call yourself, 'Humanoid Interface', exactly what he wanted?

"No. He will not believe you."

What? Then how am I the key to him?

"He will not believe. But he will trust you more then anyone else."

That doesn't answer my question. And why would he trust me? I barely know him.

"I do not know. But this is the conclusion the entity has come to."

They deduced that he will trust me, but they cannot deduce why he will trust me?

"Yes."

So, it's basically an axiom. A statement that just 'is' or 'has to be', and has no proof or reason for existing.

"Yes."

This shit makes no sense. But, regardless, let's see what happens when I think about it.

You see, I could very well imagine how Hikaru sees me. When I first met him, it seemed he was still stuck in his Chuunibyou phase. While I can accept that with fictional people, this is reality, and while I couldn't care less about people I don't know and have no control over, at least my classmate that sits behind me should at be somewhat sane. So I did the only thing I could do: Approach him. It was just that. I was the first girl, maybe even the first human being in quite a while who said "Hello" to him. It reminds me a bit of a shojou manga setting.

But why exactly Hikaru?, I asked her.

Hyou-chan searched for the right words, but the moment she had them, she lost all her nervousness, only to find it again when she was finished. It was an eternal circle, as if she was searching for the next line she has to read as a voice actor.

"To elaborate: The planet Earth never had any more relevance to the Integrated Data Sentient Entity than any other planet with life in the universe did."

You mean that there is other life in the universe? Well, either that or there is none. Both possibilities are equally scary, but the former strikes me as more probable.

"However, when the powers that currently lie in Suzumiya Hikaru were discovered, it was decided-"

How where they discovered?, I interrupted her.

"An explosion of Information was recorded, having its center on the western end of an island on the third planet in the-"

What do you mean with information?, I again interrupted her. I am going to demand so much information she'll eventually run out of bullshit.

"Information. 0 and 1. Yes and No. Here or there. In other words: Energy."

Yeah, because energy is definitely information.

"In the eyes of the Entity, yes."

I give up. So why are you, if you 'know' Hikaru won't believe me, not going to him yourself? If you have direct contact, he would do whatever you'd say, as long as you let him believe it's necessary. Why come to me?

"It was determined that it is not predictable what happens when Suzumiya Hikaru becomes aware of his powers."

So it other words, you just don't want to risk it. So you want me to be your middleman. Better other people doing the hard work?

"Yes. The risk of is too high, and the Entity believes it is not worth to take that risk."

Eh...

"Do you have any other questions?"

She tilted her head to the side, her hair following the law of gravity and partly covering her face.

Well... "Hyou-chan", I asked her, "Do you understand the concepts of irony and sarcasm?"

"Sure." she responded and put her head in place again, "Sarcasm is 'a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter gibe or taunt', and irony-"

Don't recite Wikipedia, please. I looked her straight in the eye, and said, "What I mean is the following: I don't believe you. Sure, what you say makes for a nice thought experiment, but please don't think I am taking you seriously."

And, just like that, her personality changes back from the monotone doll to the shy wallflower. Her eyes changed focus, the muscles on her faces changed positions, her body relaxed and the image she displayed was vastly different from what she did before.

"But I asked you to believe me." she said, as if to remind me. Her voice was shaking, maybe she was even about to cry, though that was only my imagination. Are you just acting or what? If yes, which personality of yours is acting and which is real?

"You asked me to listen. And I did, and now I am fed up. I will go now, Hyou-chan. I am sure we can philosophise as much as you want next time, for today I am beat."

I stood up from the table and turned around.

"Thanks for the tea."

* * *

The next day, Friday. I woke up on time, but considerable more tired than usually. I felt like a robot during my morning routine, during my way to school and during classes as well. I just did whatever I normally did, not even looking at the guy behind me, who was too busy doing something on his desk, that I had so little interest in I did not even notice what.

So why, today too, did I go my way to the literature club? Did I- No, I'm taking this too seriously. Hyou-ch- no, Hyou-senpai was probably just playing a joke. That's right. It must have been a cruel prank.

"Hey, Kori."

Hikaru's words reminded me that he was actually walking beside me. I didn't purposefully ignore him, it just that sometimes I forget my surrondings when I am having a bad day like today. When I don't get enough sleep, I just do not function right until I do.

"I need to get some stuff. Wait in the club room for me, okay?"

Cheery as ever, he just beamed me a smile and ran off. Ah, he may a weird stroke, but he's no bad person.

When I opened the door, I was greeted with a "Ah, hello." by Masaru, sitting in front of a schoolbook. Hyou-senpai was reading a think novel as usual in her chair by the window. Joko had already prepared the chess set, and sat in front of an army of black soldiers. She also greeted me with a smile. I put my bag on the ground and sat down opposite her.

"Don't we have anything else but Chess?"

"When I previously checked the shelfs, I didn't find any other kind of game. Maybe only chess was deemed intellectual enough."

Hmm... It's not that I can't understand it. School clubs are not meant to be after-school fun time, but prepare you for an adult life. I knew that much. That was why I actually thought about joining a real one, but _no._

"Where is Suzumiya?" Joko asked, making her first move. Her pawn on the very right went two forward. A foolish move.

"He said that he was getting some stuff and I should wait here.", I aswered, moving my first pawn.

"Did he specifiy what?" was her question, while she only began to make one error after another.

"I do not know, but it will most likely bring trouble. I can only hope he is just a happy child who does not know when to stop and not a real sociopath."

"You hope?" she asked with perplexed look.

"I mean..." I cut myself off, thinking for a bit, then continued. "I know he doesn't mean bad but he just makes things... You know, like he always throws open the door. As if knocking is something that doesn't exist in his household."

Do I really have to explain what happened next. It's always the same, anyway.

"Did I make you wait?"

More or less. I noticed how his voice wasn't as usual and when I turned my head I saw why. Hikaru's head was hidden behind a big, brown, carton box, and he was holding the box like he was holding the biggest treasure since the One Piece.

Hikaru, what is in this box?

He put the box on the table and began to walk around in the room.

"Stuff. I found it in my cellar. I want it to be used as equipment for the construction of the SOS Brigade."

I opened the lid of the box and peeked in, Joko next to me did the same. Hikaru was busy boasting around, and Masaru was still trying to read his schoolbook. Among the stuff in there were devices, that were clearly already outdated at the time they were put in this box. But the most toppest item was a book, the title caught my eye.

"Suzumiya Haruhi Dairy."

Who? What is a diary doing in there?

"Who is Suzumiya Haruhi and why is her diary in this box?" I asked out load, hoping to get an answer.

"What?" Hikaru suddenly shouted "What that doing there?! That's private!" He reached forward and snatched it away with a speed that really shouldn't surprise me at this point, considering his athlethic ability. Then the book found its place inside his jacket, making sure nobody took a look at it.

"Kori, Joko. Go through the box and give me everything. I will make sure everything goes on its proper place."

Following his command, Joko and I put out everything one by one and gave it to Hikaru, who put it somewhere in the room. There was a portable gas stove, a portable mini-fridge thing, a Stereo system without any kind of reader, a cooking pan, a bowl, some sort of cooking utensils, a radio that could play these old CD things, a flask and cups and a hanger cabinet.

"I guess the costumes are in another box then." Hikaru muttered, while taking a look at everything we already had put around the room.

Costumes? I seriously hope that these are not constumes you are going to make us wear.

"Well, they are mainly for women." Hikaru immediately replied. "Eh, I mean, of course there are costumes for everyone. Including me. A true commander has to follow his troops."

So much for that... Hey there's still something in there.

"'The perfect tea ceremonies - From the perfect tea to the perfect garden' by Yamato Nadeshiko." Joko read aloud the title. "Guess these things exist too." Damn right you are.

"Ah, perfect" Hikaru exclaimed, and rushed to Masaru's side. "Masaru, you're going to learn how to make tea!"

"Whwwhwhwhw-why?"

"Because it gives you a perfect female aura!"

"But, I don't want to be more female!"

"That's exactly why you'll do it! You'll seem more female. Do you not know how much potential you have? A cute trap like you is every girl's dream!"

It's not my dream. Assumption proven wrong.

"Nobody asked you." he didn't turn his body, just his head to the side while "I know perfectly well what young women want at this time and Masaru is gonna deliver!"

"Why should I? I don't want to..."

"See, you are already talking back! This will make you more manly!"

"But I never said I wanted to be more manly!"

Masaru and Hikaru had a pretty absurd verbal battle, which concluded in Masaru accepting Hikaru's presistence. Meanwhile, Joko and I had begun to play Go, a game we had found in the box.

"Ah, what are you doing?! You don't just play while you are doing stuff!"

"The box is empty." I said "There is nothing for us to do..."

"Ah, if that's how it is." Hikaru said, took the empty box, folded it and laid it against the wall. Then he joined us for the board games.

That's how the rest of the day was spent- playing board games- many of them were from the box itself. I played against pretty much everyone at some point, except Hyou-senpai. The confused little girl was sitting in her chair as if she was a mannequin, only seldom you could actually here her turning the pages.

As we were about to leave, I asked a simple sentece, just because I felt like I didn't understand something.

"So, is there anything we'll do as a brigade?"

Hikaru turned around and faced all of us. His confidence suddenly was so big, you could have filled the Mariana Trench with it and shining brighter than burning magnesium. With the voice of a man who clearly had not spoken enough he proclaimed.

"Ah, good thing that you ask!"

I wish I hadn't.

"Our first excursion as the official SOS Brigade is...!"

* * *

Saturday. Morning. Half past 8. A lone young lady was cycling through the streets of a unspecified town somewhere in Kansai. The lady is young, despite that she was wearing clothes as if she had purposefully ignored all fashion magazines released in the last year. But the lady wasn't a girl that really cared about fashion, she had neither the time to change nor the friends she needed to impress with it. She was a girl who had accepted that the cruelty within humans is not pure fiction. Girls who cared about fashion were arrogant bitches, she was no girl that would like to associate with them. However, the people she _does_ associate with were not much more usual. She was in a club with a mad genius who is nothing better than a target for social studies, a shy chunii bookworm girl, a girl who literally can't stop smiling and a trap.

That lady, of course, is me.

A bike ride can be surprisingly boring if have nothing to spend the time with. My earphones are stlll broken, so that meant no music and a path I knew pretty much from memory meant that I had to spent the time in another way. Describing my life from a third-person makes me sound like an emo.

_"Our first excursion as the official SOS Brigade is... going to start tomorrow at 9AM at Kitaguchi Station."_

I still do- Oh, I need to turn left here. Eh, where was I? Right. I still don't know what Hikaru has actually planned. Well, I should wait and see. It's not going to be that bad, even with Hikaru.

I arrived last.

"You're late!" Hikaru shouted with an angry face I didn't know whether was real or acted.

I am not. A Kori doesn't arrive too early nor too late, for she arrives when she has to.

"Okay, let me rephrase that." He put his finger in the air and looked the ground. The he pointed at me and boasted "You're last! And according to protocol, the last person gets a penalty!"

Protocol? I didn't know I joined the army. Though, well, we are a _brigade_.

We went off into the nearest café. "So, you'll pay us all drinks." Hikaru clarified upon my enquiry on what was my penalty after all. How merciful of you!

Hikaru was wearing some pretty casual clothing, green shirt, brown pants, nothing out of the ordinary. Masaru also was wearing a shirt, his was red, with a open blue jacket and grey pants. Joko looked as if she came straight out a fashion magazine cover, with her orangeish white blouse and short skirt, it reminded me a bit of a modern version of a wedding dress. Hyou-senpai was wearing a combination of clothes that almost looked like our school-uniform. The only thing it missed was the logo, but from afar, nobody would be able to see a difference. We sat down on one of the tables, and began ordering. Come on, pick the most expensive, it's only me that is going to suffer.

Compared to that, I really do look a bit old-fashioned.

After that had been done, Hikaru pulled out five little wood sticks. Two of them had red marks on one end, the others not. He held then out and declared that we all should pick one. The ones with the red ones and the one without them would form teams and then _patrol_ the city. He spoke as if mystieres just lied around on the street.

"Exactly! They hide in plain side, and it is our duty to find them!" Hikaru emphasised.

Masaru and I picked red. Well, it's not that I mind. I rarely get to be alone with someone so cute.

"Okay, let's go. And be sure to call us when there are any mysteries!" Hikaru reminded us when we had finally left the café and were ready to go. He then turned around and began walking down one of the streets, but as I was about to do the same the other way round, he again pointed at me and shouted

"And this is not a date, don't forget that!"

How do you come to the conclusion that I would interpret this as a date?

He was taken back, put his hand to his chin, and thought for a short while. Hey, do you not know why you say the stuff that comes out of your mouth?

"That's because... ermmm... Forget the reason! At this point I am supposed to tell you it's not a date! Got that?!"

Of course., I told him.

"Then all is fine." he said, and walked off. I then looked at Masaru. He just kind of smiled a "There's nothing we can do about it." smile. True enough.

And so, Masaru and I walked through the park that was the the area of the station. It was May, and therefor it was already the part of spring where people would go outside for fun. People filled the park like cows filled meadows, the wind blew not too strong for my taste and everything was so colourful. Masaru and I went our way, not saying a word, admiring the scenery around us.

At some point Masaru stopped and asked me,

"Can we sit on that bench?"

Yeah, of course we can. Or are you asking if we'll do that now?

He pouted. "You're mean, Kori."

Sure we can sit down there, I told him. What is it that you want to talk about? Or do you just want to rest?

We sat down on it and my legs thanked me. During this, however, Masaru was lost strange silent, eyeing me, before finally taking a deep breath and...

"It's possible that you don't believe me what I say, but I ask you to at least listen to me."

Oh, for...

"What is it?" I said, half-acting, half really experiencing apathy.

"I am not from this time plane. I was sent from a future time plane to this past one. So, in other words, I am a person from the future."

So you're a time-traveller?

"Roughly speaking, yes."

Now. Let's see what kind of explanation he is going to give me.

"So how does time-travel function? Is it like in Steins;Gate, with world lines and attractor fields? Or more like Terminator, like 'One way, no return?' Or like 'Back to the Future', where when you do things it leads to changed futures?"

"It's-" he began, but then bit his tongue. After about one minute of thinking he started again. "Let me think of a metaphor... Do you know the 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration'?"

"National..." I began, then realized what he meant. The NASA? Of course I know them.

"Good. Maybe you also know the film where an asteroid is about to hit earth and they try to blow it up?."

"There a lot of these films." I complained.

"Really?" he tilted his head, his hair began to enter his face. "Anyway, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-"

"The NASA", I corrected him.

"The NASA", he repeated as if he came up with the correction himself, "used this movie to test trainees, to see if they were able to spot all scientific errors in it."

So? What is your point?

"We do the same with the shows and movies you just described."

Now this is just insulting. Those poor fellows had no real time travel they can base their story of.

"So...how does time travel really work then?" Go ahead, crush my dreams.

"We don't really know enough. Our current theory is made of time-planes, which are indivisual parts of the time-stream, like pictures in a flip-book. We call these parts "time-plane". These time-planes are seperated by by a kind of time-wa- no, a cra-, no, a spl-, no, I mean.. they are seperated by each other, but a human wouldn't notice when his classified information changes from one into the next, something like that is only noticeable via classified information. Back to the metaphor, it is in this flip book that time-travellers can enter these pictures, but whatever they do, it wouldn't change the other flipbooks pages, right? Therefor, it is impossible to change the future via normal means, as changes to a time-plane, under normal circumstances, don't change the future."

Interesting idea. But why are you here specifically?

"Observation. Imagine a letter made of wood. On this letter, you have individual steps on even intervals. In the middle of the letter, one step is cracked. It's possible to use it, however at the risk of breaking it. Before and after the cracked step, it is possible to freely travel between each and every step, only the travel over this crack is limited. However, if you wanted to prevent the breaking of the cracked step, and if you were to put a little effort into it, you could skip the step and put your foot on the next one immediately. Here it is the same. In order to not risk the breaking of the time-plane however, a fair high amount of classified information is needed to skip the step, so only a few selected individuals are able to travel right to the next plane. This is the reason time-travel before that point is relatively minor."

"Are you one of those 'selected individuals'?", I couldn't help but ask.

"Classified information." came a quick reply.

"Of course. I already noticed. You must not tell the past information it does not require, right?"

"Yes. I am unable to due to class-" he tried to confirm my thought, but he bit his tongue when he started to say the dreaded words. "I just cannot do it, you understand?"

Yes, I understand. But that still leaves one question open: Why are you _here,_ specifically? Don't tell me that-"

"Yes. Because of Suzumiya. We believe he may be responsible for c-" he began, before he caughted himself, "responsible for the time-crack I just described, which is currently dated at about three years ago."

Hikaru again. And once again I was told he had special powers. Powers he didn't even know about.

"I see", I said, accidently saying the english phrase in Japanese.

"What do you see?" Masaru tried to look where my eyes seemed to point at.

"No, I mean, I now see that that's how it is. But I'm sorry, I cannot believe you. Bring me proof, and I will believe you."

"I cannot give you any proof. But.." he suddenly made a downcast face again. "Thank you for listening anyway. That alone makes it worth it."

Now, how about we spent the day like normal people. Do you know that one comic shop down the street? It has a lot of western ones on display, so I always wanted to visit it. Want to go there?

He looked at the watch on his arm. Then he showed it to me. Great. What I read on it meant I had to be at the station in five minutes.

"It seems we do not have the time. We have to report to Suzumiya." Masaru said with a faked smile.

Report what?

* * *

"Nothing. There was absolutely nothing unusual.", I truthfully answered.

"Really?" Hikaru raised his chin, so he look down on me without having to be any more higher than me. "Did you even look?"

"Well, did you find anything?" I asked him back. If he really thinks it's that easy, then he can show me his results.

Hikaru did not boast aroung, instead he was lost for words, until he finally, quietly admitted, "No." Quiet Hikaru was however not something you see often or long, and as if it too had been written in some protocol...

"But!" he spoke again, his body making a overly dramatic pose. "That doesn't matter! It just means that we underestimated them! We have to deepen and broaden our searches and soon we will see results."

What you're telling me reminds of the motivational speeches that you see on TV all the time, the ones leaders of rebel groups give their comrades in the face of death.

At lunch in a popular burger place -Hikaru insisted even though there was some restaurants quite nearer- we were told to re-draw our straws, in order to form groups for the so-called second round. While in the morning, we patrolled the town north and south of the station, now we had to look west and east. This time I drew a red straw again, while Masaru threw a unmarked one. So much for that. Instead I got Joko. And while we watched Hikaru and the rest walk off, I turned my head over to her.

In the last 24 hours two people have told me that they were of supernatural origin and while my common sense told me otherwise, I knew this wasn't random. I could feel it.

"So, Joko..." I began. "Are you too in 'it'?"

"In in what?" she asked with her ever compassing smile.

"This whole conspiracy thing..."

"What makes you think that?"

The fact that you didn't tell me all about this yet, while the others did.

"Well, of course, following the elimination principle, I am the only one left."

So, she too. Let's get it over with.

"So, what are you? Slider? Esper? Android? Me from the future? At this point I wouldn't be surprised at anything."

She snickered. "Well, the closet thing you'd call is indeed an esper. But I am not as easy to describe. But we can discuss this..."

She called for a passing car, a black model you'd normal expect to be used as a taxi. It has these tinted, opaque windows, and overall made the impression that it is used by a top-secret government agency.

"...in a place where nobody could overhear us."

I am not getting in that thing. This is a clear death flag.

"Kori-san. Please. This is not the time for jokes." and with that, for the first time I know her, her smile has vanished. All what was left in her face was pure seriousness.

So I kinda agreed and sat down next to her in the back seat of the car. She gave the woman sitting in the driving seat some kind of sign, at which she started driving.

"You said 'too'. I suppose the others told you about their identities?"

Yes, they did. Hyou-senpai told me she is some alien-robot-cyborg-thing and Masaru some guy from the future.

"Ah, I think that sums them up quiet nicely. Calling me an esper would sum me up nicely as well, but there is more to that than the word 'esper' conveys. Of course, the same applies to Kongou and Asahina."

There is more to being an esper? What's more than what is known in fiction?

"Can you see the future?", I began asking.

"No."

"Can you use telepathy?"

"Yes"

"Can you use telekinesis?"

"No."

"Can you sense thing normal people wouldn't sense?"

"Yes."

"You still sound like a generic esper."

"But I am not. The situation is much more complex. Currently I am only able to use a very limited amount of my power. It is only at a certain place and a certain time that we are able to unleash and use our full powers."

Probably when all your friends are in danger and you need that last-minute power-up.

"Well, if Suzumiya thinks so, it would probably happen."

"That's what I don't get.", I interjected. "Hikaru is, like, God? How?"

"We also don't know the why or the how." Joko said with 'Can't help it' way of shrugging, "We just know that it is like that. However, that doesn't mean we don't wish to know more. One part of our agency is focused solely on researching and developing various possible theories."

"Agency? So you do belong to some top-secret government organization that eliminates everyone who gets to know of them?"

"What? No!" Joko almost shouted, and began to violently laugh. "Who do you take us for?"

But you belong to an organization?

"Yes."

Does it have a name?

"'The Agency that's so secret, it doesn't even have a name.'"

Seriously?

"I kid."

I sure hope so. That wouldn't be funny anymore, just ridiculous.

"Our agency is an organization, that does not belong to any government or other party, and therefor has no name."

"Then where do you get your money from?"

"Didn't I say I could use telepathy, among other things? Finding out how and how to replicate these powers, don't you think that there are certain powers in the world that are interested in that? That's the way we are funded. It's that simple."

I chose to not press any further. What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over.

When we halted at a crossroad, waiting for the lights to turn green, my interest turned to the woman driving us. In these kinds of films about secret agencies you always see the driver or the pilot that probably doesn't even belong to said evil organization being killed alongside the actual evil henchmen. Does this woman even realize what we are talking about?

"Does this woman also work for your organization?" I whispered to Joko, holding my hand in front of my mouth "She didn't say a word yet."

She, not Joko, but the driver, began to laugh softly into her fist.

"Of course I am. I am the driver, after all. If we just let anybody drive our people, that would create a huge security hole."

She turned around and beamed me a smile, an adult "You know shit about life." smile. Her long twintails waver, following her head's movement, they were a similar brown to Joko's. She wore the suits you'd always expect from people in formal positions, accompanied with the obligatory sunglasses. She made a professional impression on me. That was a adult woman, one who had real expierence.

"Nice to meet you. I am Koizumi Kyoko, Joko's mother and mentor."

Your...your mother? Why don't you tell me such an important thing? Why do I have to find out via asking?

Joko shrugged again, her smile not fading in the slightest. "I would have told you eventually, after all she is needed."

Needed... how exactly?

"Espers always come in pairs. One elder and one younger. They work in symbiosis, their powers perfectly completing each other. The fact that my elder is my mother is pure coincidence."

Yeah, I'd like to see the odds for that.

* * *

Kyoko-san finally parked the car somewhere on a car park in an unfamilar town. Joko exited it, guiding me and her mother around, until we reached the entry of an alley. There, Joko took my left, Kyoko-san my right hand.

"This may feel weird to you but please close your eyes, okay?"

We took some steps, one, two, three, then we stopped. When I opened my eyes. I instantly saw that I should have believed every word I have heard in the last 24 hours.

The people were the first thing I noticed. They had disappeared, only Joko and Kyoko, holding my hands, and I remained. I shacked them off, and turned around my axis. All lights were off, no cars were moving, the buildings were shrounded in darkness and silence. The sky held no stars, no clouds, no sun. It was a sterile place, no wind, no sound, no humans.

"Where...am I?" I finally asked the two that obviously know more than me.

Joko began to step forward and lead me through the alley, to a large road.

"We call this 'Closed Space'. Like the name says, it is a room that is cut off from the normal world. A special world... Ah, would you look at that?"

With Joko pointing behind me, I turned my head to look the way she indicated. There I saw, Kyoko-san leaning against... an invisible _wall? _Some kind of force field?

"Imagine this world to be like under a dome" Kyoko-san said, "Where the walls would be, we have these invisible force fields."

She got back to her feet and walked towards us, and together we began folllowing the street.

"So, this place is something only you can access?"

"Yes." was the simple reply.

"And I take it Hikaru is somehow related to this. Is he the creator of this space?"

"Indeed. You are good at grasping these concepts." Joko complimented me.

I've seen a lot of fiction, at some point you just know certain things.

"But...", I began, "creating a little, desolate world that only espers can enter... What's the point in this? In this his inner self, showing how empty it is?"

There was a rumbling beside me.

"There is a point. And it's these things..."

Listening to Kyoko-san's words, I say this "thing" in the distance, at the end of the street. some hundred meters from us. It was fundamentally humanoid, it stood on two legs, two arms, a body and a bulge you could call a head. But it was gigantic, ten, twenty or thirty meters tall, and easily half as wide. It led out a large shout, without a mouth, and glowed light purple, without anything to indicate it performed a chemical reaction. It simply was there, against all logic, and with a large swing of an arm it began to knock over a TV tower.

What the _fuck_ is this?

"We call them 'Shinjin'- Celestials. In order to show you this as compact as possible, we have already eliminated each but one of them."

So, what, you can elimentate these things?

"Yes" Joko spoke "Just stand here and watch."

Red sparks began to jump out of Joko's body, flowing around her, engulfing her. With a little "bst" sound, blue sparks began to join them. Their origin were Kyoko-san's hand, which she stretched out. After a few seconds, Joko's entire was engulfed by purple sparks, floating half a meter over the ground, continuously supported by Kyoko. Then, with almost no sound at all, she floa- no, flew off into the distance, with her speed she reached him in one second. At that distance, she was not more than a purple-red dot, ready to be attacked for by the cat.

"This is Joko's role. She attacks them head-on, while I old woman stand her in the back and give support."

Hadn't I known better, I would have interpreted her pose as a generic fantasy summoning ritual imitation. She was still reaching our her head, her fingers then and now outputting blue sparks.

"You can talk in this state?"

"It is an arduous state, but not one I need to fully concentrate on. I can still talk to you."

So this is what you do as a job?

"More or less..."

What about Joko's father. Doesn't he know?

"My husband knows too well, and it pains him to see his family is such a situation."

I can see where that man comes from, I wouldn't want my daughter and wife to be espers either.

"Kori-san..."

Hmm...

"Take good care of Joko, okay?"

She smiled at me, as if she was a queen telling a noble treat her daughter as a good wife.

More purple dots began to emerge from the darkness surrounding the giant. Their speed picked up, fused paths and then- they just slice of that thing's arm. As if together they were a chainsaw. The giant screamed, his arm broke apart until it was nothing again. They proceeded to repeat this process. First the other arm, then the 'head' and then the rest of the whole upper torso. When it was just two connected legs, it broke apart itself.

"This is it. Is it over now?" I asked Kyoko-san.

"Yes. When all Shinjin are destroyed, the Closed Room collapses."

Doesn't this mean we have to get out of here _now_?

"Don't worry. When the room collapses, all people in it return to that place in the normal world. So I would advise against staying on the road."

Joko, now devoid of red and blue sparks, answered and explained.

"So, now, you should look at the sky."

There was a crack. A crack was in the sky, giving off a hellish red glow, as if the dome itself had shattered. Then, will a 'Crrk' came another. The first one grew, came together with the second, and was joined by a third. Then, when there were more cracks than than the original darkness, the space just disappeared. Everthing was just how it was supposed to be- sun, people, noise. It's a bit weird how we call this normal nowadays.

"Well, let's return home, shall we?"

We started walking to the car, but there was still one question I forgot to ask.

"What would happen if you didn't destory the 'Shinjin'?"

"They would destroy all that is engulfed in the Closed Space."

"And then?"

"They would attack the walls, which then begin to give in and make the Closed Space grow, engulfing more buildings previously out of range for them."

"So long until the Closed Space would be the size of Earth, correct?"

"Correct. But this is where we have a predicament: If the whole world in destroyed in a Closed Space, where would the Shinjin find new places to destroy?"

Joko asked this rethorical question, and it wasn't hard to imagine the answer. Of course... that's why they are so fixed on killing them.

"The real world."

"Exactly. To prevent this, we destory them before they can do any damage."

This...this is serious. I underestimated this whole thing. A time-crack. Right. Masaru also talked about something that affected the whole world. And Hyou-chan. She said that is was unknown what would happen if Hikaru found out about these powers- apparently something so bad could happen it could damage this... entity itself.

Hyou the alien, Masaru the time-traveller, Joko the esper. All three have some sort of superpower that makes them special. While I haven't actually seen Hyou use one yet, but that's unimportant, she sure had one.

But what's my superpower? Being able to accurately guess people's height from afar? Being able to accurately guess how someone feels? Being able to memorize the plot of hundreds of books, films, anime etc?

What is my position in this whole play, written and directed by Hikaru's wishes?

* * *

At this point I would really like to say "And that's how I came to believe everyone." but it's that not that easy. While I had seen Joko and Kyoko-san in 'Closed Space', it hadn't really sank in. As soon as I got home, my common sense began telling me to stay out, to get away. I should simply observe, was the conclusion my mind reached. If Hikaru really is all that, why should I be it that has to worry? That's most likely what I wanted to be able to say. But, as they say, destiny is a lousy traitor. And only after a few days, I had to actually do something.

* * *

On the way out of the school I found a letter in my shoebox. "Oh, great" I thought at that time, "a love letter? Do these things actually still exist?" I only saw them in Anime, and even there is was only parodied. Well, someone confessing to me would be exactly what I need, I thought to myself and opened the letter. Instead, something totally different was written there.

_Kori-chan, if you want proof that I can travel through time, meet me today 8PM at the place I first told you about what I am._

_\- Masaru_

Honestly, couldn't he approach me on my way home? It would have been way easier, I could just follow him. But wait, what does "proof" mean? He wants to prove his story? Well Hyou-chan has yet to give me proof, but I already saw Joko in Hikaru's closed space, and the way they all seem so serious about it makes me believe that they really are what they claim to be. Ah, screw common sense, I want proof! I mean if you had the chance to travel through time or something, would you say no? Obviously not!

I went home as fast as I could, waited until it was time, and then sneaked out of our house. Well, I only 'sneaked' because I thought it was cool. Papa wouldn't care either way. I drove my bike to the park, put it away at a station and entered the park.

It was still May, and the sun had just set half an hour ago. Not many people had been around on the street, but the park seemed totally deserted. So far, I only noticed one person, sitting right ahead of me. He was there, with a brown coat definitely too warm for this season over a black pullover and light brown pants. He seemed somewhat lost in thoughts. I figured he was waiting for someone, ignored him and continued walking. At that note, I began to wonder why exactly did Masaru want me here, at this time? He could have done so many things. At least he put it in my shoebox, if it had been in a book or something, I would have never gotten the message.

"So you're here", a soft male voice came.

"Who?" I exclaimed.

The man who sat on the bench had stood up. He was about as tall as Papa, but he probably was my age. I couldn't really see his face in the darkness.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Kori-chan"

Could it be... Masa...ru?

"You recognized me! Great! Now I don't have to convince you..."

His tone of voice and body language gave me the impression, that he really wished he weren't right here now, and that talking to me would be one of the most bothersome things he could imagine.

"Please don't act like an arrogant dick for the sake of acting like an arrogant dick." I do not have the energy to put with something like that.

"Oh? Ah, right. You don't know. A lot of things happened to me, some of them will happen to you too, but these will happen by themselves. I'm Masaru. I am from the future. I mean- more in the future. From the point of view the boy you met today, I am future-him. So yeah, I am not the innocent idiot anymore. I'm different, so I act different. Please understand that."

You certainly look more... grown up. You're not cute at all!

"Is that your first priority when you meet your friend's future self?!"

"Well, I don't think I can actually ask you about any important stuff. You'd just go 'Classified Information' and all that."

"That's true.." he muttered slow and solemn, his eyes drifting off somewhere right to me. But then his mouth, no, his whole face began to deform into what only looked like a widower's face when he had just found his wife's killer and put all his wrath into it. It was only for a second before it looked normal again. His tone of voice, however, still was a sarcastic, bitter tone.

"Kori-chan. I need you to come with me on a time-travel adventure. I need you because I can't do it alone. I'd have to be at two places at the same time, and I cannot do that, not in this way. Do you accept?"

Yes.

"Very well. I expected no less from you. You did not even put one thought into it, this is truly like you."

Am I getting complimented or insulted?

"So, Masaru, from where do we start? Where is your time-machine?"

Masaru smiled, a creepy smile, locked his eyes on me, his face coming a little too close. I instinctively pulled back my head, until my neck hurt, when he pulled to my ear and whispered.

"It's right here."

* * *

I woke up on a bench, somewhere in the park I have met him. I was sure it was a different bench, but in that moment it just seemed he had put me out cold for the night.

But then, I remembered. Ah, right, time travel.

"Awake?"

Masaru, the old Masaru, asked this question, sitting beside me on the bench in and watching somewhere in the far. I sat up and looked at my surroundings. Yes, it was indeed that park but it looked different.

No, still sleeping, even though I already looked at my surroundings.

So, where are we?

"Well, we're in the past. Your past. Your present is my past too, after all."

I need context. What date is it?

"Look at your watch- It should be able to synchronise with this time's technology. In theory."

I did as he told. Indeed, the numbers on it were frozen for a moment, then rearranged themselves so I could read them...

What? I am not even born yet?

"That is the issue with time-travelling isn't it?"

Upon this remark he looked rather... melancholic at me, and in this moment I knew exactly that this was the Masaru Asahina I knew so well. He did get more confidence, but he also seemed more... sad. As if he realised the dark aspects of his job, aspects I couldn't even imagine.

I looked around again. It was supposed to be May in my time, but suddenly, I sneezed.

"Dear- take my coat if you're cold. Just don't complain."

I took and put it around me, not making any remark. I didn't have the energy for that, or actually, I did. I seemed to slept well enough.

"Half past one PM." Masaru said, looking at his watch, "We have about half an hour, before we have to leave."

Leave? Do we have an appointment somewhere?

"I do. You don't. It's unimportant when exactly you pull of your second task, but the first has to be done in the next 30 minutes."

And what is that task I have to do?, I asked him. I felt how my curiosity took over my other senses.

"Follow me." he ordered me a bit surprisingly sternly. There seemed to be no trace of the insecure, a little shy boy my age.

I followed him down the path of the park, and eventually we reached a point where he just stopped.

"There. This flowerbed."

He was pointing at one of the flowerbeds that were placed alongside the walk. It was full of different flowers, and though I have no detail knowledge with flowers, I could recognise pansies here and violas there. Considering it was years ago I learned those thing, I was surprised I could still remember it.

"What's with it?", I asked Masaru. Maybe this task was easier than I imagined. At long as I don't have to meet past instances of persons I know, like Papa... I could hardly imagine Papa as the high schooler he would be during this time.

"My orders say that there are two things in there: Some sort of data storage device and a letter. So it is your job to take it out and give it to me."

Really? Is that all I have to do?

"Yes. This is your first task. It is an easy one, so please just do it."

Can't you do it? And why is it there in the first place?

"That is classified, I am sorry. But you have the advantage of not having a TPDD. There are different rules for you."

That's right, I have no TPDD! Of course that makes me different- What is a TPDD?

"Time Plane Destroid Device. It is the name of the time machine we use."

Shouldn't such a thing be classified?, I asked him, not believing him.

"It should, but I really don't care what you know. In the end we just follow orders we cannot understand the meaning of. That is true even for me."

I had to agree with him. I have no clue how exactly the job of a time-traveller looks, but from what I felt it wasn't a pleasant one. Take this task for example. Let's say I was observed by a passerby from afar. This passerby tell one of his acquaintance from me, who writes it into his profile or lets it otherwise end up in the Internet. This data is then collected by the time-traveller's group who determine that it was me, therefor they have to send me there in order to fullfil the predestination paradox. A character only travels through time only because they already did. An eternal loop. No input. No beginning. No end. Are such bootstrap paradoxes possible? Recursion, if you will? I certainly hope not.

I pushed aside some of the violas, expecting a memory storage and an envelope to be somewhere easily locatable, after all, they are the only man made objects I would expect in such a pot. I should be mistaken. After twenty minutes of looking, I couldn't find something even similar to what I was looking for. When five minutes passed without success, I changed flowers, checked the side of the bed, brushed aside more flowers. But still nothing. It began to go on my nerves. When I told Masaru about it, he just said "Keep looking." That was ten minutes ago, and now I was once again at the violas.

"Are you looking for this?"

I heard an unfamiliar female voice behind me. Thank God, a passerby had found it per accident and had waited for the one who lost it!

I turned around, but the light smile I had got instantly crushed by what this 'passerby' looked like.

It was a woman, probably around my father's age. She had her dark-brown-orangeish hair in a no-nonsense bun, I could see how it was strapped under a Hanshin Tigers cap. She was wearing a coat that was definitely a man one's and the only part of her face that I could see was her mouth, which held a smile that was like an evil version of Koizumi's. I somehow felt that this woman was not here just because she stumbled across the envelope and the memory stick she was visibly displaying with her raised in a cross arms, envelope in her right, memory stick in her left.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, my voice not displaying any kind of information.

She didn't move in the slightest.

"Easy, I came here shortly before you two and made sure to get them. It was simple, really."

Why, thank you, they are ours. Would you please give them to us?

"Why should I? Can you prove them to be yours? Or are you just couriers to bring them to someone?"

Okay, this is getting creepy. Couriers? She said that she made sure to get them? And she is asking that many questions, while evading mine. Who was this woman?

"What are you?", I asked her and sidestepped a bit, so I was next to Masaru.

"How rude of you." Even when I couldn't see her eyes directly, I could feel how they were locked on me, "Why don't you ask my colleague?"

Colleague? Does she mean...

I turned and looked at Masaru, who held a face mixed with anger and despair.

"It seems so..." he began. "But why are you people here?"

The woman stood a step forward, her face still downwards.

"I am here because I was here. It is a pre-determined fact. As is the fact, that I will give you this-"

She threw the envelope. It flew spinning to my chest, I was easily able to catch it.

"and that I give you this."

She threw the data stick so it landed in Masaru's hand. He began to shout at the woman.

"That you are here makes no difference! The letter comes from its source to its destination- the path it takes is irrelevant."

"I don't think so. Every time travel has already happened. Of course my arrival is important."

"Bullshit! The unobserved becomes the undefined. If they are no records of it, then it doesn't matter if there was a travel to that point, if will automatically result in the right thing."

"So?..."

The woman seemed to lose her smile, though I was not sure if it changed to sadness or indifference.

"Bye then. We will surely meet again."

What? Hey, don't just leave.

The woman had spoken calmly and firmly, while Masaru grew seemingly angrier by the minute. I could only imagine how much there was behind the scenes. Maybe this woman was an rival of his that has worked, or still does, for a different organisation. Maybe it is a lost love interest who betrayed him. Who- or whatever she was, I had to find it out. I started to take a step forward, but a firm hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"It's useless. If you try to run after her, she will jump away through space and time."

So, we have to beat her with brain power?

"Not we. Me. Now, here is the second thing I ask you for. Please listen."

* * *

The library I entered was the same building that I sometimes visited when having to search for primary literature for Japanese class, but it looked older. Well, no shit, it was February 2007. In the time between this now and normal now, it seems to have gone under renovation, primarily I noticed how a lot of space that was dedicated to e-learning and other electronic methods in my time, was filled with rows of bookcases. If I had the time, I'm sure I would find something interesting and read it on of those couches.

Now, where is she?

Find a little girl with grey-purplish hair, wearing the uniform of Kitago, and reading the book "Rewind" by William Sleator.

It's really not that hard to find someone in school uniform on a Saturday. Well, if I search under the assumption that by the year 2007 school on Saturday is already a thing of the past, this will be easy, as no schools exist in Nishinomiya that require you to wear your uniform on days without school. And even if such a school exist, I doubt Kitago is one of them. With emphasis on 'Doubt', since I don't know everything about this school and therefore there is the slight possibility that it indeed is so. But, alas, I didn't find her immediately. She was neither in the entrance area, nor the main hall. I searched various rows, beginning with Science-Fiction and continuing on thorough Fantasy, Thriller, Crime and other books of mature themes. Five to ten to fifteen minutes passed, until finally I found some girl resembling the description, in the child's section, no less. She reminded me somehow of Hyou.

"Erm, hello." I began. The girl only moved one of her hands to turn her picture book. She studied the pages that only needed two seconds to read with the intensity of a nuclear physicist from the 1930s trying to understand modern quantum physics. The science-fiction novel Masaru mentioned was lying beside her, either she already finished it, or had not started it yet.

"I am supposed to deliver a message."

Still no reaction. Maybe she didn't realise I was talking to her. I took the letter with the number "5" demonstrative written on it I got from the weird woman and held it demonstrably in front of me with both hands. I was now obstructing the top part of her view. She could read, but that shadow my envelope cast must annoy her or at least get her to notice me. But, of course, nothing.

"From Asahina-san." Maybe telling her that I got it from him will make her finally talk to me.

And truly, she raised her head, her eyes made of looked at me with the burning intensity of a gamma burst. Her eyes did not move, but her head did until we had eye contact. Then she closed her book, took the envelope and put it her uniform. She then picked up her picture book again and turned a page.

So. What now? I obviously finished my job, I completed the quest. Where is my reward, my loot, my information I need how the fuck I get home. I mean, I am stuck in the year 2007. I don't want to visit the club again when I'm in my mid 30s. Should I try to meet up with Masaru again, or wait for him? Or look for other time-travellers that could take me home?

I felt a soft sensation on my skin. The girl was holding out a piece of paper.

* * *

So, who was this girl? Who was this woman? What was in that letter? In what kind of adventure was I in?

"The woman is a time-traveller, I agree on that. You said the girl was similar to Hyou, right? If we assume that the Entity has had terminals since before three years ago, it's possible you have been part of an inter-dimensional information transport."

I was back home, lying on my bed. It was evening, late evening. Apparently, Papa had never noticed I was gone. Neither did Auntie or Arashi. Lucky me.

"So what happened after you got that piece of paper?" Joko asked.

"I went to the park and sat down on the bench, as it told me to. At some point, I felt tired and fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was home." I answered truthfully.

"So in the end, that woman is the only mystery."

"Do you think your organisation knows anything about her?"

"I don't know, but it is definitely worth a shot, though I can't guarantee anything. After all, I am an esper. I do not know how time travel functions, nor its principles. I would rather ask Asahina, but as you know..."

Classified information.

"Right. Well, I am going to hang up, now. Good Night."

"Yeah, good night. See you tomorrow in school."

I turned off the phone, put it in its charging station and turned off the light.

Some day, maybe even tomorrow, this all will come back to haunt me. But, until then, let me _sleep_.

* * *

** Author's notes:**

Well, I got you! Thought this was never coming out ,was it? I cannot express any reason that are acceptable, I am bowing my head a thousands times. It was a bit like my uncle sometimes does it. I mean, look, even Hikaru is bowing, how often does that happen?

Oh, wait, you can't actually see that. Well, take my word for it.

Anyway, it's been a while since I last published a chapter, and in this time I watched a lot of anime and live-action tv-shows and read books and manga. Whenever I read a new work, my writing style gets influenced, with the time this happens less, but still. It's been a while and new chapter may not feel like the old chapters did. And I need help. Please. Anybody who wants chapters at the old pace and is no too sorry about spoilers, please contact me. I need people I can discuss the parts I am unsure about, else I'll sit one week on a chapter that has an easily fixable error.

As always, please report any errors. I need them.


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